Uncharted Seas
by xokatherine229
Summary: She was fascinated by their legends and lifestyle. When the most notorious Pirate crew attacks her home, she and two others find themselves hiding on their ship. Soon, she finds herself entering a world of adventure, bloodshed, and mystery as she becomes the key component in finding one of the most sacred treasures that has been hidden for centuries. What will she do to survive?
1. Prologue

Author's Note: I know some of you will not be happy that I reconstructed the story and started from the beginning, but because I could not find my past notes for this story, I see it is only far to start over. This allows me to fix my past mistakes and to make sure there is no confusion between characters and the plot. I am sorry it took me so long to post this new chapter, but I hope you all can forgive me for starting over.

For any anonymous reviewers please give me your email in the review so I can thank you properly.

I hope you all enjoy this new first chapter!

**Warning**: it is a VERY long chapter

* * *

_**Prologue**_

"Whoa…easy there Jai, we can't have any more sharp movements. We must treat her with caution, do nothing that will make the sea upset," a firm but gentle hand was placed on top of the man in question's shoulder.

"Sorry Captain, but these waves are harder to maneuver around the more we continue." Jai held onto the oversized wooden steering wheel as another forceful wave smashed against the side of the boat.

The captain nodded his head as he stood by Jai's side, waiting for impact. _We have been fighting with the ocean ever since we left. _He pushed his broad shoulders back and fixed his posture as his calculating emerald eyes surveyed the crew. Each sailor stood by their posts, waiting for the strong waves to disconnect a sail's rope. _This crew needs to rest. _He thought with sad eyes._ I must make sure we are on-course. _This voyage was not what he expected, but they had come too far to back down because of a few strong waves. He took a few steps away from Jai and pivoted on the back of his leather boot. "Jai, I will return," was all he said before he glided down the mahogany stained steps and disappeared behind the double doors just below the deck.

A firm callused hand gripped the typical bronze passage knob and pushed one of the wooden doors with ease. As he shut the door behind him, he could hear footsteps coming from the back corner of his chamber.

"I wasn't expecting you to be back down so soon," a soft voice traveled to his ears as he waited for the person to appear.

"These waters are rough. I want to make sure we are on-course. The crew, even though they aren't showing it, is exhausted." He looked up to see a beautiful woman standing at the corner of his desk, smiling pleasantly.

"Here," the woman dressed in a simple silk blue form fitting dress that fanned down to the oak floor gently shifted a bundle of blankets and used her free ivory colored hand to grab the neatly rolled map. "I hope this helps," she said as she handed the man the scroll.

"Thank you," he said with a small smile. His emerald eyes looked away from the woman's peaceful heart shaped faced and started down at the bundle of blankets in her arm. "How is she Mebuki?"

Mebuki slowly relinquished her line of sight from the man in front of her and trailed her soft almond eyes down to the object of interest. She used her free hand and removed a small piece of the blanket to create a small opening. "You know how your daughter is Kizashi, every time the boat rocks she giggles and stretches her arms out," she answered with a giggle.

Kizashi started lovely as an impatient head violently moved away more blankets, "she is getting bigger and bigger."

"And is becoming more of a troublemaker! She will wait until I put her down and wiggles her way out of the blankets and I'll find her crawling on the table."

Mebuki watched with irritated almond eyes as her husband unraveled the large blanket from around the infant. "My princess, are you getting restless?" He asked her in a quiet voice.

"Gah!" The baby shouted as Kizashi took the infant into his arms.

A small chuckle exited his mouth, causing the young infant to giggle, "you're just like your father aren't you?" He lifted her arm's length away and stared deep into her wide vibrant emerald eyes.

"It explains the pink hair your family blessed her with," Mebuki retorted with a sassy smirk.

Kizashi's vision moved from emerald eyes to playful almond eyes. His expression transformed into a sarcastic shocked look. "Did you hear that Sakura?! Your mother is jealous of your pink hair!" He pulled his daughter into a tight hug while he playfully took a quick step away from his wife.

"Ha, ha, you're funny," she said while she took back her daughter from her husband's arms. "Isn't there a crew you need to look after?"

Kizashi gave his wife a wink before he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a quick passion-filled kiss. "We will continue this later." Mebuki kissed her husband back and watched him walk back outside onto the main deck.

Her attention returned to the petite infant in her hands, "Sakura what ever will we do with your father?" she asked her oblivious daughter.

"Ah bo!" Sakura giggled out as her small arms latched themselves to her mother's straight mid-torso length black hair.

"My thought exactly," Mebuki answered with a soft giggle. "Come on; let's go back to the small deck." She watched as Sakura squirmed in her arms eager to return to the salty air and feel the small water droplets from the wave's crashing against the side of the ship. "You have the same sense of adventure as your father does. Hopefully you are more like me when you get older," she answered with a bright smile stretching ear to ear across her face.

Kizashi gave the door a tight pull before he released his hand from the bronze knob. _Now it's time to settle on land! _With new determination, the Captain turned his back on the door and extended his extra-long, yet well-toned, legs across the wide deck. The crew members watched their captain climb up the stairs towards Jai who had been quietly battling the upset ocean.

"Jai, how are you holding up?"

Jai's hands were placed on either side of the dark-stained wooden wheel. His bare hands grasped onto the pegs with all his might, showing the whites of his knuckles, while he used his fine motor movements to keep the vessel as steady as possible. "I'm…" his eye brows began to twitch while the wrinkles on the side of his mouth began to dance in anxiety. "…it's very hard Captain."

Kizashi watched as his crew member began to flex and relax his entire upper arms, in rapid contractions, trying to compensate for the fickle sea. _Jai is my best man to direct this ship. There has to be a way around this._ His answer was a blunt crash emitted by another wave, but this time the wave was large enough where water was beginning to ooze over the west side banister.

"Kiz what do you want us to do?" an anxious voice yelled from above.

The captain looked up only to see his main partner jump from a platform halfway between the crow's nest and the upper level deck. The man flew into the air like a swan, bent his knees into his chest, and did several flips until his feet made contact with the wood of the ship.

"Yui…" Kizashi said in a short breath before another wave sent him a few steps sideways.

"Jai let me take the wheel."

Jai looked at the man like he had seven heads, "no one touches my wheel. I will not hand over my ship to a snake like you," he hissed out and glared murderously at the pushy man.

"Touchy," the man shook his semi-long blue locks out of his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "Kaz, tell him to hand it over."

Kazashi didn't meet the eyes of either Jai or Yui; instead he unraveled the map that was leading his crew through these dangerous waters, waters that have been untouched by any of the countries. _There has to be an answer here! _His emerald eyes rattled back and forth within their sockets, looking at every type of landmass or body of water. He needed to find an answer, if he didn't…_our entire crew, the ship, this journey…my family…will all be buried at the bottom of the sea. _

"Kaz," Yui walked over to his captain only to see his large hands grasping the map tight enough to crinkle the edges. He turned to Jai and cleared his throat, "give me your ship. Now." He finished in a very demanding and sinister tone.

By this time, Jai had beads of sweat trickling down his hairline, over his cheek bones, and down his neck. _This sea…I have never steered through such an angry ocean. She will kill us all if we don't act fast. _He didn't have the time nor the energy to answer Yui, the only answer Yui was given was a snarl.

"Fool! Do you want us all to die?!"

"Jai, please allow me to steer your ship," Kizashi's stern yet questionable tone cut the tension like a knife.

Jai took his grey eyes away from the darkening horizon. Grey and emerald clashed for a millisecond before Jai nodded his head, "take good care of her Captain."

Kazashi nodded his head while the two of them fluidly switched places, "I will make sure to handle her with care."

Yui stood on the side appalled by the change in events. _That good for nothing bastard! _"Kaz," he walked past the glaring Jai and placed a forceful hand on his friend's shoulder, "I know you're trying to help but do you even know what you're doing?"

"It's only a thought, but at the rate we are sailing, a wave will take us down," Kizashi took the map and gently placed it into the large coat pocket on the inside of his knee-length dark red coat. "Yui, get the crew's attention, I will need you to be my translator."

Yui grunted in disappointment before he effortlessly jumped on top of the banister railing on the upper level deck. "Listen up!" His booming voice rolled over the main deck and his bone chilling black eyes surveyed every crew member as they tried to walk to the center of the deck.

Another wave came rolling across the vast ocean, sending its forceful power straight against the already rocking ship. The sudden attack from another wave sent half of the men on the deck sideways. As soon as the angry wave passed, and everyone regained their position in the middle of the main deck, a gut-shaking thunder was heard from overhead. Every member on the ship turned their heads to the sky only to see a swirling ominous black cloud following their ship. The waves were transforming from the small, slightly tolerable, waves to tsunami sized waves, towering over the crow's nest of the ship.

"The sea is challenging us men!" Yui shouted. "Now is our time to show mother nature what we are made of!"

The crew members looked apprehensively between Yui and the roaring sea in front of them. They have traveled through many raging seas, but nothing like this. No one knew how to process this new information and stood in their positions until the Captain began to explain what needed to be accomplished.

"Yui," Kizashi was standing on the side of the steering wheel as his face began to be covered in sweat, "tell everyone that we must get everything into the center of the ship. Make sure that the items can be moved to other parts of the ship if needed. We need this boat to be able to change as quickly as the tide."

Yui felt a proud smirk spill across his lips. _Always the brains of everything aren't you Kaz? _With new found excitement, Yui leaped into the air and landed on both feet in front of the crew. "Okay! Gather everything into the center of the ship. Make sure these objects can be moved as soon as I command it!"

The members looked to Jai and the Captain only to see Jai nod his head to reassure them what was about to happen. Once this nod of confirmation was made, every member stood up straight and took off sprinting in every direction. Some took the top deck and gathered all of the excess ropes, row boats, and other miscellaneous items. Each boat was designated to hold all of the small items and at least 2 crew members were instructed to push the boats when needed.

Yui ran into Jai's right hand man, Kai, and pulled him by the shoulder. "I need you to stay on the upper deck. When I say the word, you will tell your men to push those boats in whatever direction I say!" Kai nodded his head and continued to aid his crew members in accomplishing this insane task.

Running off of pure adrenaline, Yui jumped down into the lower decks of the ship. His black eyes observed every crew member that worked feverishly to try to accomplish the rather strange task. His calculating black eyes scanned the crowd looking for the man in-charge. Every member was grabbing cannons from each small window and hoisting them together with rope. Many curses and punches were thrown trying to get everyone working together.

"It's live or die boys!" A large voice screamed as he grabbed the end of his rope and tied it across the barrel of another cannon. "Hurry up!" He pressured his men as they scrambled to push all of the cannon's together.

Yui grabbed the man by the shoulder and tightened his grip around the unsuspecting man's upper shoulder. The man was startled and a short snarl escaped his lips, "What the hell? Get off of me and help out!"

The answer the man received was the sensation of Yui's bony fingers being violently shoved into the back of his shoulder blade, "When you hear Kai's voice you will shout the same thing to the members on this level, understood?"

The man stared at Yui with hateful eyes. _What a cocky son of a bitch._ "Whatever, now get off me and let me do my job." The fuming sailor pried Yui's hands off of his shoulder, trying to ignore the painful way in which Yui removed his tight finger grip from his shoulder blade.

One more level needed to be inspected before Yui could return to his rightful place at the top of the ship. _What grunt work. Kaz knows I'm more useful for other things than this. _With the shake of his head, Yui flung open the other trap door and swung himself down into the very basement of the ship.

This level was pitch black and the scent of rum and sweat swept through the area. _Such an awful smell. _He walked with caution, trying to not slip on any mysterious items that could be rolling around on the ground. It wasn't long before voices bounced off the mahogany walls. Screams and shouting were coming closer, along with a hand candle lit lamp. Yui stood his ground as he waited for the crew members with the only light source to enter his personal space.

"Who is in charge?!" Yui shouted, making sure his voice was the only voice that could be heard through the chaos.

A man as wide as a brick-made home cleared his throat and shinned the poor source of light in Yui's face. "That would be me. What do you want? We are getting everything in the center of the ship!"

Yui made no facial expression but eyed the intimidating sized man before him, "when you hear orders from above, you will follow in their footsteps. There are no mistakes." The large man nodded his head and turned to the other sailor's around him, "take this lamp, make this place light up! We need to see where we are gonna go! Tell Seed and Bean to get everything together from the kitchen, from the rooms, and even the rum! Everything must move!"

Yui reached above his head and used his well-defined muscular bicep and triceps muscles to lift his body back to the second level. Black eyes watched as crew members stood in the middle of their conglomerated collection of guns and people, waiting for orders.

"You!" Yui shouted to the room he just came from. The man came running from the back and eyed the impatient man above him in anxiousness, "stand here so you can receive the order directly." Yui looked away from the large man and hunted down the other person in charge on the second floor. "Hey!" Yui shouted as he stood on top of one of the cannons.

The crew member in charge of the second floor turned around abruptly and glared at Yui, "What?!"

"Stand by the stairs. Don't move. This will make sure you hear the order at the same time as Kai!"

Before the man had a chance to ring Yui's neck, Yui had already sprinted up the mahogany steps to the slippery wet deck. He turned to Kai to see him stationed right where he needed to be. _Everything looks good._ His attention returned to Kizashi, watching him take suggestions from Jai. _He should have let me drive the damn boat. I would have done a better job. _However, Yui couldn't dwell too much on his irritation; he needed to join Kizashi at the upper deck.

Kizashi felt the wheel jerking within his grasp. His knees started to buckle as more water fanned across the upper deck. _Come on Yui, where are you?!_ The feeling of Jai's steady hand on his back was reassuring, causing Kizashi to gather enough stamina to station his slipping body against the wheel.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing Captain?" Jai asked in hesitation and fear. _My ship can't take much more of this._

"Please Jai, I know I didn't give you a lot of reasons to trust me with your vessel...but please, give me a little bit of support."

A small smile escaped Jai's mouth as he watched the young Captain use his leather belt to tie his body against the wooden pole that held the steering wheel in place. _What a rather strange Captain, at first when the Governor asked me to take his man and his family on this voyage I thought he had lost his mind...but I see the special quality this young man possesses._

"Kiz! Everyone is set! What do we do?! Have you been slapping us around for kicks?!"

Jai rolled his eyes as the annoying counterpart returned to their side. _Though I can't speak for him and his childish actions._

"Good, Yui hold onto a sail's rope and position yourself so you have decent projection across the ship. Hurry! We only have one shot at this!"

Without a second thought, the eager man jumped onto a sail's rope and used the momentum of another crashing wave to push against the rope and sling-shot his whole body across the width of the wide ship, landing in perfect position between Kizashi and Kai. "Ready when you are!"

"Captain, what are you going to do?"

"Jai..." Kizashi turned to the man with pleading emerald eyes, "I need to know that I have permission to do this."

"What exactly are you going to do to my ship?"

"These waves..." Kizashi looked back to the raging black sea only to see a gigantic wave at the bow of the ship. Its size was just as wide as it was tall. The dark tsunami like wave powered against the roaring waters below it, displaying its monstrous power. "These waves are calculating, it's as if someone is controlling them. I can't explain what will happen right now but I need you to trust me."

Jai followed Kizashi's gaze only to see the most intimidating wave he had ever seen before. He took a deep breath in and a slow breath out. _It looks like I have no choice. _"Yes, do what you need to do." _Even if it's against my better judgement._

Without hesitation Kizashi shouted as loud as he could to Yui, "Yui! Have the majority of the men throw as much weight as possible to the southeast side of the ship. Get as close to the back as possible! Have the sails redirect to the east. Make sure the winds are pushing into our sails! Wait for my mark!"

"Kai! One person per sail! When I say now you will throw everything you got to the southeast of the ship! Tell the other levels!"

The sudden order caused several sailors to stand at every sail's post and the rest were standing, waiting to move the row boats towards the direction of choice. They were all ready, ready to take on this monstrous wave. Everyone was on high alert, muscles tensed, eyes concentrated on the objects in the center of the boat or the sails. The ship rocked back and forth against the vibrating forces emitted from the gigantic wave as it trampled over the smaller waves that dared to cross its path. Jai looked between the wave and the twitching Kizashi, wondering when this man would throw his plan into action. Then the wave got closer and closer. The sailors didn't dare to look towards the Captain or the wave, they were too afraid to miss the opportunity they desperately needed to break free from the clutches of Mother Nature.

"Kiz, what the hell! Hurry up!"

"Wait!" Kizashi shouted in urgency. _If we miss our opportunity, then we might as well abandon ship now. _His blazing emerald eyes, full on determination and confidence, watched the wave like a lion watching its pray, waiting for it to make its move before he be made his own.

"Captain..."

"NOW!" Kizashi shouted as he took the wheel and threw his entire body to the right of the wheel. "Jai throw yourself against the banister. Use your belt to secure yourself if you need to. It's about to get bumpy!"

"Now!" Yui screamed at the top of his lungs as he used as much force and momentum possible to propel his 130 pound body, of pure muscle, to the opposite side of the vessel.

Once those words left Yui's mouth, every crew member on that ship threw every object to the southeast side of the ship. Sails were turned to the east and the violent tornado-like winds filled the white tattered sails, causing a sudden rush of speed that allowed the giant vessel to jump across the angered ocean, almost like a flat rock skipping across a pond. The force of every object being thrown against the side of the ship caused the ship to suddenly turn to the right side and because of the weight being extremely close to the stern end of the ship, the front of the ship lifted slightly out of the water. The air that filled the sails counteracted the sudden increase in weight and caused the boat to pivot. The abrupt change in motion caused everyone to fly backwards. Jai watched with horror as the back of his ship nearly dipped into the ocean that was coming closer and closer to him. Now the gigantic wave faced the side of the vessel.

"Throw anything that isn't needed! We need to move faster!"

The chain of command was passed throughout the entire ship. Soon the sounds of multiple splashes were heard from both sides of the ship. Extra clothes, extra food, excess rum, even the Captain's bed and other nonessential furniture were tossed overboard. Kizashi straightened out the wheel and untied his belt from the pole. _If we are going to move any faster we all need to move to the back of the boat._

"Yui! Tell everyone to move everything left to the back of the ship!"

"Move to the back!" Yui shouted as he jumped off the sails and landed onto the main deck. He looked into Kizashi's bedroom doors to see the majority of the room empty; only his wife and child, who were accompanied by a crew member, remained. _Mebuki...don't worry, I'll get you back._ However, these pressing matters made him have to leave his position and join Jai and Kizashi at the back of the ship.

Kizashi watched as the sudden gust of wind, and change of weight, worked to their advantage. He used his untied belt to tie the center of the wheel to the top of the post. _Hopefully this will hold it in a straight line! _Without a second thought, Kizashi sprinted from the wheel and threw himself to the back, joining a pale faced Jai.

Everything went silent. Crew members watched and held their breath. The boat launched itself forward, as if it knew that a giant wave was about to sink it to the bottom of the sea. Kizashi, Jai, and Yui sat as still as stone, while practically throwing their bodies over the banister. The wave loomed over the boat in slow motion, taunting the crew below it, warning them that they will not live after it slams it giant water belly on top of the side of their boat. Somehow, as soon as the apex of the wave reached to the clouds, the slight change in movement caused the boat to receive a strong enough push that projected the ship further across the smaller waves. Kizashi watched with petrified eyes as the larger-than-life wave began to descend towards them. It was as if everything happened in slow motion, Kizashi could only watch in panic as the wave was within arm's reach. The feeling of doubt and despair crossed his mind as he watched the wave almost catch the plank that stuck out at the very back of the ship. As soon as the wave came crashing down into the awaiting water below, Kizashi thought he heard the wave give off a growl of disapproval for meeting the water and not the wooden snack it had been eying.

The vessel became stable, the smaller angry waves began to vanish within the sea, and the once dark menacing sky began to dissipate behind the bright golden sun that was slowly being revealed. Everyone blinked a few times, afraid to move from their spots. It seemed like an eternity before various crew members felt the ability to breathe again. Yui was the first to jump away from the back banister and shuffle back onto familiar ground. He outstretched his arms and screamed at the top of his lungs into the sun's bright shining rays. "We did it! Yahoo!" All the crew members, even those from the lower levels, rejoiced in excitement. The air was filled with their laughter and screams, of badgering the sea, as the vessel sailed across the now calm ocean.

"Well Captain, you surprised me," Jai said with a small smile as they emerged back to the steering wheel.

Kizashi raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, "thanks Jai. I'm just glad it worked."

"Capta…"

Before Jai could share his frightened feelings about the plan Kizashi had in store for his crew and ship, a woman's voice cut through the air, "KIZASHI! You are a dead man!"

Kizashi's eyes proceeded to widen bigger and bigger as the strong female's voice cut through the air like a sonic boom, "Shit," he whispered in front of Jai.

Jai watched as his Captain slowly turned around to face the only female on board. Her black long hair swayed back and forth across her back and her blood thirsty almond eyes glared at the coward before her. Attached to her side was a small infant dressed in a bright pink frilly dress with a small hat covering her small head. Jai held back the chuckle that desperately wished to be heard. _Oh how quickly the wife has the captain shaking in his shoes._ It reminded him of his wife when they were younger. A slight shiver rolled across his body. _Those were her scary years. _

"Mebuki I can explain!" Kizashi began to plead for his life.

The glare his wife gave him was growing increasingly scarier by the minute. _She is going to kill me. _His eyes immediately darted to their child sitting happily on the side of her hip, her small little fingers gripping the side of her mother's dark blue silk dress while she stuck her head over her mother's shoulder, hoping to catch more of the wind on her face.

Mebuki noticed her husband's glance and shook her head, "don't think of using your daughter as a way of getting out of this!" Her high heels dug into the floor boards of the ship as she stomped over to her dim-witted husband. "You could have at least told me what the hell was going on! No, instead I had to pull a poor lad into OUR bed chamber to tell me what to do!"

Kizashi looked at his wife with sheepish eyes, "Mebuki, please, you have to understand all I was thinking about…"

The poor man didn't have a chance to explain himself, for Yui came swooping into the conversation diverting his wife's attention. "Listen to him Mebuki. He was trying to save all of our lives."

Mebuki didn't take her eyes off her husband, "I wouldn't give a shit if he was drowning, I should know what is going on!" And with that outburst, the infuriated woman stormed off towards the bow of the ship, daughter in tow.

"Oh man, I really messed up this time," Kizashi said with a heavy sigh.

"Don't worry Kizashi, I'll cool her down." Yui didn't skip a beat and slide down the railing, trying to catch up to the flaming Mebuki.

"She should have been my top priority once I figured out a plan."

Jai watched as the Captain dwindled down into a puddle of guilt. "Take my advice Captain, don't dwell on it too much. You did the best you could in the time that you had. If you worried about your wife during the plan, we might not be alive."

Kizashi shot Jai a pathetic and pitiful expression, "I hope she can see it that way."

"She will. However…"

"However, what?"

Jai's experienced eyes watched as Yui began conversing with Mebuki, the way Yui would touch Mebuki's shoulder longer than necessary, or the way he would try to pick up the infant set Jai on-edge. "You need to watch out for that young man down there."

"You mean Yui?" Kizashi looked at the bow of the ship to see Yui trying to pick Sakura up, but every time he got closer his daughter would turn the other way and try to crawl to a new spot on the deck.

"That man's actions speak of nothing good. He's reckless and tries to make you look stupid in front of my crew. I don't know how you tolerate a man as snake-like as him."

"Yui and I have been friends since birth…I include him in everything."

"Yeah, well don't let your kindness be the death of you."

"I'll keep that in mind Jai," with a turn of his heel the captain began to walk down the stairs hoping to reconnect with his wife.

* * *

That night every person on the ship slept without a worry in the world. They had escaped death even if they lost their most precious items. Snores echoed through the bottom level of the ship, not a soul dared to move off of their hammock-like bed. While the calm rocking of the ship was a lullaby for others, two members could not find peace the idea of sleeping, it was the furthest worry from their mind.

"Mebuki please listen to me…"

"No! What would you have done if Sakura or I had gotten hurt?!"

"You know the answer to that…"

The flustered woman rose up from her side of the couch and started to pace around the small enclosed quarters. Her almond eyes started down at the floor, glaring intently, unable to meet the eyes of her husband. "It wouldn't have taken any time away from your plan! We are your family, how could you forget about us?"

Her guilty husband flung the thick comforter off his body and stretched out his long legs. In one swift stride he was in front of a clueless Mebuki. She continued to walk towards him, still glaring at the wooden planks on the floor, and before she knew it her entire body slammed right into a tall but firm chest. The sudden impact caused her to look up, making her come face-to-face with dejected emerald eyes. At first she tried to slip away but Kizashi snaked his arms around her, making sure to secure her from moving away.

"This is why I can never look you in the eyes when I'm mad at you," she said as her glare slowly dissipated. "You always make me feel like the bad one."

"I don't try to," he answered as he placed a kiss that was mixed with sadness and regret, on her thin cherry lips. "All I was thinking about was trying to keep everyone alive, you and Sakura the most, when that wave blind-sided us…" his expression changed from being full of guilt to complete seriousness, "all I thought about was getting Sakura and you to safety. You mean the world to me and I would be damned if a wave would end my life with you. I did what I did to save you. I should have told you what was going on when it happened, but I was too focused on my job to keep you two safe," the passion for their safety was evident in his eyes.

A gigantic sigh escaped Mebuki's lips as she placed her dainty ivory skinned hands around his square jaw, her slim fingers barely reached the top of his cheek bones. "I know," she said to him in a very soft voice, almost a whisper. "Kizashi," she moved her hands from his face and trailed her fingers down his neck, over his collar bone, and towards his chest. Almond eyes closed in frustration while her hands held tightly against his night shirt, forming two petite sized fists. "I'm more mad at you for putting yourself in danger!" She screamed. "First the Governor asks you to lead this voyage, and then we are sent out here in this never-ending sea only to have it plotting to wash us away! You always do what's right for everyone else and never yourself!"

"Mebuki…" he stared at his shaking wife as crystal tear droplets started to slide down her face. "No, no, don't cry!" He lifted his wife effortlessly into his arms and carried her bridal-style over to their remaining piece of furniture. _She always struggled with accepting this voyage. _He thought sadly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to come with me. I just couldn't bear…"

A small finger pushed itself against his soft light pink lips. "No," she said firmly. "I told you I would support you and be by your side through anything." She took her finger away and clasped her hands against his, "We will get through this together," she said as a small smile appeared on her face.

"There's the smile I fell in love with," Kizashi said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Oh real…" Her sentence was cut short by a sudden sensation of being pushed onto her back.

Mebuki stared at her husband with love in her eyes before he placed his body on top of hers. She could feel the urgency in his motions as he skillfully untied her nightgown. _I only wish we can find what we are looking for, _was her last thought before Kizashi began to erase her mind of all doubt and fear by replacing it with feelings of bliss and arousal.

* * *

"Kiz, we have been following this same path for hours now, we need to go another way," Yui groaned out as looked out at the never-ending azure blue that surrounded them.

The blazing golden sun hung brightly over their heads, causing the temperature on deck to increase dramatically. Steam could be seen rising from the wooden planks that lined the ship. Jai had to monitor the crew's state every few hours to make sure no one would die on board.

Kizashi stood by Jai in a white short sleeves dress shirt, thin tan breeches, and his leather boots. The top of his brow was pouring with sweat to the point where his white shirt was starting to become see-through. His exhausted emerald eyes stared at the map, trying to think of another route before Yui interrupted. _After that wave, I'm not even sure where we are… _He looked up from the map and stared out at the calm sea in front of the ship. _What do I do? _

"Hello! Earth to Kiz? Are you listening?"

Jai turned to the annoying man and slammed his foot down violently, "will you shut your mouth!" This outburst caused Kizashi and Yui to look at the normally quiet man with a mix of scared and startled looks. "Let the man do what he thinks it right, stop complaining."

Yui glared at Jai, "don't test me old man, I will throw you off your own ship."

"I would like to see you try."

"Captain!" A cry from the crow's nest caused Yui and Jai to end their mini feud. Kizashi rolled up the map and walked down the stairs to the main deck.

"What is it Jax?" He cried out as he continued to walk towards the main sail that the man was stationed at the top of.

At first Jax went quiet. Kizashi watched as the young, nearly brown colored man, switch his attention between his captain and the eastern seaboard. Kizashi tried to follow Jax's gaze into the horizon but the sun's bright rays prevented him from seeing anything. When the young lad said nothing Kizashi shrugged his shoulders and began to leisurely walk back to the upper deck. _I guess it was just a false alarm, _which he couldn't blame the poor lad for; it was a very hot and dry day at sea.

_Y-You're kiddin'…_ Jax's brown eyes went as wide as saucers as he held up the small telescope to his right eye, for the fourth time. _I thought this was just a rumor…_ He slowly lowered the bronze telescope from his eye and felt a sense of excitement that he hadn't felt in days. "CAPTAIN!" He screamed one more time.

"Yes Jax?!" Kizashi didn't make it very far across the main deck before Jax cried out again.

"I…I see land…"

Kizashi heard him mumble something but it was too soft for him to truly understand what he had said. "What?!" He shouted again.

Jax blinked a few more times before he snapped out of the trance he was in, "I SEE LAND CAPTAIN! LAND!"

Kizashi felt his whole body go numb. _Impossible! _His shocked eyes flashed towards Yui, Jai, and the entire crew around him, "I'm going up!" He screamed as he put one foot on the roped ladder and began to climb up the sail.

Yui saw his partner scurrying to the top of the crow's nest and bolted to the very sail he was climbing. _What is he doing? _"Kiz get down!"

The entire crew, except Jai, surrounded the sail Kizashi was climbing. Eyes full of wonder and confusion followed the path of their captain as his legs carried his entire body, in haste, to the top of the sail. Emerald eyes met deep brown eyes as Jax offered his large callused hand to his captain. Kizashi took the extended hand and took his first steps on top of the platform.

As he stood at the top, his eyes couldn't believe the view Jax had been sailing with, he could see everything from every angle, there was nothing he couldn't see. The crew below was in the shape of miniscule ants, the ocean looked even more of a never-ending body of water, but the serene feeling he felt was the most powerful of all. Never before had he enjoyed the ocean as much as now, he could feel the nearly none existent wind brush against his sweat covered face. The ocean sparkled below him, dancing under the sun's rays in such an innocent manner, masking its evil side they had dealt with only a day ago. He closed his eyes for a moment and took in the peaceful tranquility he had not felt since they first began their voyage.

"Captain…" Jax said softly, feeling scared to knock the man out of his daydream.

"Oh, right," Kizashi turned to the young lad and flashed him an apologetic smile, "I apologize, you have quite a view."

Jax looked at the man with one eye brow raised, "Uh…yea…" he outstretched his hand and held up the telescope, "Captain, look out there," he finished as he pointed towards the eastern horizon.

Kizashi looked at the aging telescope that he took from the young boy. The bronze was slowly deteriorating, as were the swirls that were engraved on the sides, and he could feel the salt from the sea covering the main barrel of the item. With a deep breath, Kizashi raised the telescope to his right eye and quickly shut his left eye. He shifted his body towards the direction in which Jax had pointed but saw nothing; all that filled his telescope was the sparking azure blue sea.

With disappointment he removed the telescope from his eye and shook his head. "Sorry Jax, I don't see anything."

"Try again Captain," the lad demanded. "Stand so the sun is on your left shoulder right where you can feel her burnin' the skin on the side of your neck."

"Okay," Kizashi raised the telescope once again to his right eye and positioned himself using the sun's heat as his guide. _Place the sun against my shoulder. _He told himself as he switched his left shoulder to be positioned a little in front of him. _Feel the burn of her rays on my neck. _He stretched his neck out to the right only to feel the sun's gentle kiss of heat burn his already hot skin. A deep sigh escaped his mouth as he concentrated on the view before him. _All I see is oce…_ Right when he lost all hope he saw a glimpse of green enter his line of sight.

Jax heard a small gasp escape his lips, "you saw it too!"

_Impossible! _Not believing his own eyes, Kizashi removed the telescope from his right eye and switched it over to his left eye. He stared through the small hole and was shocked even more when his left eye saw the same color of green. _Just one more look! I have to make sure I am seeing what I am seeing! _For the third time, Kizashi removed the telescope from his left eye and closed his eyes, taking a moment to rest his eyes from the cruel sun's brightness. He opened his mouth slightly and took a deep breath in and out, as soon as he was ready, Kizashi grasped the worn out telescope and placed it against his right eye. This time he kept his left eye open and sure enough the color green entered his line of sight without hesitation.

"Captain?"

Kizashi removed the telescope from his eye and turned towards the awaiting crew member. "You were right Jax! You found it!" He shouted with excitement.

A huge smile covered Jax's face as he nodded at his captain's exhilaration. "I thought I was goin' crazy at first."

"Don't worry Jax, we will be on land soon!" Without wasting another minute Kizashi placed the telescope into Jax hands and started to climb down the rope with impressive speed.

"Kiz what is going on?" Yui asked with curiosity in his voice as his friend's feet met the wooden planks.

"Jai!" Kizashi yelled, ignoring Yui's comment. _We cannot lose this lead! _

"Yes Captain?" Jai called out from the other side of the ship.

Yui watched as Kizashi took off running to Jai's side. _What has gotten into him? _With annoyance evident on his face, he chased after his childhood friend hoping to get the insider scoop on what was happening.

Kizashi slid across the planks as he reached the upper level. He wobbled a little bit from his abrupt, and unusual, actions but rolled his shoulders back and stood tall as he caught his balance. Jai watched the overenthusiastic man come to his side with a sense of urgency.

"Captain?" He asked, not too sure what had gotten into the younger man.

"Land! Jax found land! He found it!" Kizashi told Jai.

Jai's eyes went wide at the accusation, "are you sure about this?"

"I checked that telescope three times. I am sure!"

To see the normally calm and reserved captain act like a child receiving his first toy made Jai consider believing what he saw. Jai flashed the captain a genuine smile, "tell me where to go."

"What is going on?" Yui interjected getting irritated even more that he missed what was being said.

Kizashi turned to Yui for a quick moment and shot a bright joyous smile his way, "it's land Yui! We have found it!"

"You aren't serious are you? Kiz, we have been at sea for so long are you sure you saw what you think you saw?"

Kizashi was too delighted to pay attention to Yui's disapproval. He turned his back on his friend and turned his full attention to Jai, "turn the ship towards the eastern seaboard, allow the sun's rays to touch your shoulder, but make sure you can feel the heat burn your neck. Once you feel that you will be on the right course."

"Point the sails towards the east!" Jai shouted in a stern manner causing every crew member to reassemble at their designated posts. The experienced driver felt the sails swing towards the east and in one fluid motion he placed his hands on the wheel and sent the ship towards the east, "Make her go as fast as you can!" Jai shouted demandingly.

"Finally, after all this time, we have finally found what we were looking for," Kizashi voiced as a content sigh escaped his lips.

Yui eyed Kizashi with jealousy. _If he finds this island, the Governor is going to reward him. What about me? I'll get nothing! I will not allow that to happen. _With such thoughts clouding Yui's mind, he walked away from his best friend and began to walk off towards the front of the boat.

"Yui, where are you going?"

The man in question stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around, "I am just going for a walk, you should tell Mebuki about what you found."

"Of course…" Kizashi watched his friend walk away. _Something isn't right with Yui, what could be wrong? _Keeping a wary eye on his friend, he climbed down the wooden steps and entered his quarters, ready to tell his wife what they have found.

* * *

For hours, the crew members, Yui, Jai, Kizashi and Mebuki watched with growing anticipation as the vessel sailed across the pristine ocean that was still enough that they thought they were sailing across a mirror. The calmness of the water allowed Jai to maneuver his ship faster than ever before.

"Oh, Kizashi, look!" Mebuki cried out as she balanced Sakura on the side of her hip and pointed out in front of them.

Everyone watched as the once green landmass that looked like the size of a pea started to grow bigger and bigger before their very eyes. Kizashi stared at the untouched landmass with accepting eyes. He turned to his cheering wife and placed a tender hand on her petite shoulder, "we finally made it Mebuki. We finally did it."

"Get ready men!" Jai shouted as he started to turn the vessel to combat the narrow peninsula that poured into the island. "Easy girl, you can do this," he encouraged the boat as he started to steer her straight past the rocky peninsula.

"Tie down the sails!" His command roared over to the crew as the number of rocks beside them began to increase. The sails came down in one swift motion and two members climbed each sail, tying the once proudly waving sails to the wooden masts that would guard the sails until they were needed to be released once again.

Once this was completed, everyone held their breath as the rocks began to grow in height and width. Their superior size acted as a wall between the ship and the outside waters. Each rock would point out a certain points down the long peninsula, Jai kept a close eye on the rock to water ratio as they reached the halfway point between the outlet and the island. The ship creaked as some rocks came close enough to the crew that they felt too uncomfortable to stand as close as they were to the jetting rock.

It seemed like eternity before Jai had successfully steered away from the treacherous rock valley. A breath of relief filled the air once the force of the deeper water and the bottom of the vessel met. "Get ready to set anchor!" Jai ordered as he snaked the ship into a position that would allow them to escape quickly, if needed.

"Set anchor!" Jai yelled one more time.

"Yes sir!" The crew yelled in unison as they uncovered the iron beauty that was waiting to taste the sea once again. In one giant heave, the members lifted the life-sized anchor and tossed her overboard. The sudden dip of the boat indicated to Jai that the anchor had hooked its teeth into the seafloor.

"Kizashi look at it, it's beautiful." Mebuki was speechless as she stared off into what seemed like an untouched island. The golden brown sand looked as soft as her silk sheets and the water was even clearer than the ocean they had been sailing across. She brought Sakura over to the banister and allowed her daughter to sit at the edge. Below them, they could see numerous types of sea life swimming below them, "when can we explore?"

"You're not coming," Yui answered. "Women stay on the ship," and with that blunt reply Yui walked down to the main deck to get ready to jump into one of the smaller row boats they had hoisted against the side of the ship.

"Mebuki," Kizashi tried to divert her attention away from Yui's harsh words, "we want to make sure the island is safe before I can bring you. Give me a day and then I will come back to take you and Sakura inland okay?" He placed a loving hand under her chin and kissed her lips. "That's a promise."

"You better," she said as she smiled into the kiss. "Now go and do what you came here to do." Kizashi flashed a charming smile and a small wink before he ruffled the top of Sakura's hair and scurried down to the main deck.

"What is the plan Captain?" Jai asked as one of the row boats splashed into the sparkling clear water.

Kizashi watched as all eyes turned in his direction, waiting for him to give them orders. He looked between the boat and the crew and then back to the boat. "We don't know what is out there. Jai, I want you to pick five men that you would trust with your life, those five men will row with Yui and I to shore." He looked to the other row boat and then back to the massive crew, "then I want you to pick 9 men to take the second boat. This row boat will stay halfway between the shore and the ship. If something goes wrong you will not wait for us, you will sail back to the ship and get out as fast as you can."

"Yes, of course," Jai nodded and began to deliberate which 14 members would be allowed to leave his ship.

"Those who are picked," Kizashi began again, "you are allowed to bring as many swords and knives as you can carry. No guns."

Yui yanked on Kizashi's shoulder and shot him a death glare. "No guns? Are you mad? We can't kill anything bigger than us with a sword!"

Kizashi placed a reassuring hand on Yui's shoulder and addressed the whole crew as he spoke. "If by chance we run into anything on this island we can't draw attention to ourselves. Say there are humans on this island, we must not give them a reason to fear us."

Yui snickered at this remark, "whatever Kiz, if you get us killed don't blame me for your dumb decision," and with that he disarmed his three shotguns and did a side flip into the awaiting row boat.

_ What has gotten into you Yui? _Kizashi thought to himself as he watched Yui land in the row boat. They had been friends for decades and as soon as they arrived on the island Yui had started to act like he hated Kizashi. It was starting to worry Kizashi.

"I will be waiting in the row boat below," Kizashi told Jai, "send the five men down when you are ready. We will not row away until the two boats are full."

"Yes," Jai said as he took a step away and started to pick between his crew members.

Slowly the two row boats were being filled with crew members and once Kizashi was satisfied with the fullness of the second boat, they detached their ropes from the giant vessel and rowed their way across the miniature ocean. Crew members watched as fish swam around their ores as the wooden paddles entered and exited the water.

It didn't take long for the row boat to slide against the sand, allowing the seven men to take their first steps onto the unclaimed island. Kizashi sunk into the sand as him, Yui, and the five crew members made their way to the top of the sand line. Curiosity took over and he bent down to touch the harmless sand. To his surprise it was as soft as an infant's bottom, never before had he felt sand so remarkably soft.

"Let's do this," Yui stated as he took the lead towards the vast jungle in front of them.

The crew members looked to their captain, waiting for him to give the order. Kizashi started at the intimidating jungle with apprehension. _No one has ever been to this island. Many countries have tried and have never succeeded. We are the first ones to make contact with this island. _His calculating emerald eyes watched as the sea breeze gently brushed against the tall tropical palm trees. Just below the trees laid several Ti plants, their branches weaved around the trees like an ivory vine. Their dark rose and violet colored leaves, outlined with an evergreen color border, covered the passageway into the unknown jungle.

"Yui," Kizashi spoke before his friend could do anything rash, "do not cut down the trees, we will find a way into the jungle without harming the environment."

Yui grunted at the request, unsheathed his sword that was attached to his right hip, and cut a few of the Ti plants leaves. When he was finished he shot Kizashi a smirk, "sorry Kiz we wouldn't have gotten in if we did it your way."

Kizashi watched with disappointment as Yui entered through the hole he created. The crew members looked at Kizashi waiting for him to give them orders. With another sigh Kizashi took a step forward and looked to each crew member beside him,"come this way Kai, Mizu, Kyo, Kuro, and Nobu. We better stay close to Yui just in case."

As they crossed over from the beauty of the sand and into the shady environment of the jungle, Kai approached Kizashi before they got any closer to Yui. "I understand he is your friend, but if he endangers you or us I will kill him."

"Let's hope it doesn't come down to that," Kizashi answered with a reassuring smile.

"Now what?" Yui asked as he looked around at the many trumpet tree branches that possessed off-white flowers that hung upside down, dangling in front of Yui's path.

Trillions of bigger trees with giant fan-shaped bright green leaves littered the upper half of the jungle. Kizashi watched as a gigantic shower tree stood in the middle of their location. Its petite gold flowers hung on each branch like grapes hanging from a vine. They dangled with certain elegance to them. He looked around the central beautiful tree to see two different pathways distinctly made. One path was covered with mint green leaves, about two feet in length, lying against the dirt path. The other path had simple rich soil that extended off into the other direction where more trumpet trees outlined the path.

"We will follow this path first," Kizashi pointed to the mint green leaves below their feet. "Proceed with caution and do not attack anything unless provoked." _These paths indicate that something, or someone, has been here. _As he led the group down the first path he couldn't help but pray they wouldn't run into trouble.

It felt like days before Kizashi and his small crew emerged from the clutches of the unfamiliar jungle. _It seems like there is no end to that jungle. _He thought as they began to load themselves back into the small row boat resting on the shore. _Hopefully we find a way through it tomorrow. _

"What a waste of time," Yui grunted as he crossed his arms over his chest as Mizu, Kyo, Kuro, and Nobu began to push the row boat away from the shore.

"It's better to be sure there is nothing out here," Kai said as he trudged through the darkening waters and jumped into the row boat.

"Yeah, whatever," Yui grumbled as he followed Kai through the water.

"We better row back to the ship quickly, the sun is starting to set," Kizashi stated as he hopped into the row boat. _The last thing we need is to be left on this island when the sun goes down. _Without delay the seven men made their way back to the awaiting vessel.

"Captain! They are back!" Jax yelled from the top of the crow's nest.

Jai and Mebuki ran to the very edge of the banister to see the two boats only 100 feet away from the vessel. Jai turned to the direction where a few of the members were sitting against a stack of rope, "get these men on this ship as quickly as possible," he sternly stated. He turned to an overjoyed Mebuki and nodded in her direction, "we better be down there to greet them."

By the time Mebuki and Jai reached the main level of the ship, all 16 men were starting to climb the wooden ladder to safety. As soon as Kai took a step on the boat, Jai nodded in his direction, as if to say "thank you". Kizashi was the last person to step onto the boat.

"Kizashi!" Mebuki exclaimed in a semi-high pitched relieved voice. She walked as fast as she could, with Sakura at her side, and yanked her husband into a one-armed bone crushing hug. "I'm so happy you made it."

Kizashi blushed at the public affection she was showing in front of his crew but encased her and Sakura in his arms, "Me too," he whispered softly in her ear.

Jai watched the couple with accepting eyes but then cleared his throat, "I don't mean to interrupt the moment, but did you find anything?"

"No," Yui interjected, trying to ignore the affection he was witnessing. "We saw nothing, no animals, no people, it's deserted."

"He's right," Kai said with a serious expression. "It was a little too quiet."

Mebuki stood at the side of her husband and felt hope wash through her entire body. "Does this mean we can visit the island now?!"

Before Kizashi could deny Mebuki's request, Yui slid to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "I don't see why you can't visit it Mebuki. It is quite a beautiful island."

"Oh please Kizashi?" Mebuki eyed her husband with pleading eyes.

"Mebuki, do you remember my promise? I will not allow you on that island until we explore it for one more day."

The extreme hurt in her eyes went unnoticed by Kizashi. She took a step backwards, breaking contact with Yui and acquiring distance between her and her husband, "of course. We always have to wait," she finished in a dejected tone as she took a confused Sakura and started to walk back to the upper level.

"Yui, why did you tell her that?" Kizashi asked with a hint of frustration evident in his voice.

Yui shrugged his shoulders, "because it's the truth. There is nothing out there. I don't see why you can't give her what she wants."

"Because it's dangerous Yui! We still don't know what's out there!"

The sudden outburst from Kizashi caused everyone to stare even more at the duo in the middle of their quickly forming circle. Mebuki heard his outburst and couldn't help but slowly turn around to watch what was about to transpire between the two friends.

"Captain has a point," Nobu said, "we only explored not even half of that island. Allowing more of us would be suicide."

Yui ignored the unimportant crew member and continued to stare at his old childhood friend with burning anger blazing in his black eyes. "She has been locked up on this ship for months, the first time we have seen land and you're going to deny her the right to explore? She's your wife! Start treating her like something other than an object you want to keep locked up." He switched his attention to the woman and child that stood on the upper deck, watching their entire conversation with wide eyes. Yui's muscular arms pointed in her direction as he persistently continued to scream at Kizashi. "Look at her!"

Kizashi slowly looked towards the direction Yui's arm was pointing. He watched his wife and child stand there still as stone. _Now that Yui mentions it, I can't help but feel like this is all my fault._

"If you don't take her to the island, I will." Yui finished.

That caused Kizashi to stiffen. He abruptly yanked his gaze away from Mebuki and stared intently into Yui's black eyes. Ever since they had arrived on this island Yui has acted differently, and he would be damned if he allowed his unstable friend to put his wife and baby in danger. "No," he growled out, "I will take her."

The reaction Kizashi showed caused Yui to smirk. "Fine, but I'm tagging along," and with that he soundlessly maneuvered his way away from the circle of crew members and began to throw a few items down to the floating row boat in which they just came from.

"Captain, you can't be serious," Jai said in pure worry, "the sun is about to set, this is not a good idea."

Kizashi felt his head grow heavy as he turned his attention to the only other friend he had made on the ship. "Don't you think I know that?" His eyes shifted, briefly, to his awaiting wife, "but I cannot allow him to take my wife and daughter."

"Fine," Jai turned to Kai and they both nodded their heads, "if that is how you feel, Kai, Nobu, Mizu, Kyo, Kuro, and myself will accompany you. We will make sure that you three return back to this ship in one piece."

"You don't need…"

"No Captain, we are and you will not tell us otherwise," Mizu said with a slight smirk. "Besides, if that ass slips up in any way and puts that nice lady in danger, it gives me a reason to slam my blade straight into his throat."

"Uh…" Kizashi didn't know how to handle that last statement but bowed deeply towards the six men, "thank you, I do not know how I will be able to repay you."

"We will start loading more items, just in case," Kuro said as he stepped away and directed a few of the other crew members to grab some items from the basement level of the ship.

"You better grab Mebuki," Jai said with a tilt of his head as he walked off with Kai to begin scavenging around the boat for supplies.

Kizashi turned away from the kind crew members and began to walk to the upper level, only to see Yui gently directing Mebuki and Sakura down the stairs. "Yui, what are you doing?" He asked as he waited at the bottom of the stairs.

"I was just telling Mebuki that her chariot is waiting."

Mebuki took an uneasy step away from Yui as she reached her husband's side. "Kizashi, are you okay with this?" She felt a little apprehensive after hearing the argument between the two of them.

"Yes, it's fine. We have a team that will be taking you and Sakura to the island. Of course me and Yui will be joining you as well."

"Oh goody!" Her mood completely changed as she placed Sakura into Kizashi's hands and sprinted towards their living quarters.

"See how happy you made her," Yui softly stated as he took a step around his partner, "I was even able to secure some late night sex with your wife after this trip."

It took all of Kizashi's will power not to raise his voice to his friend. The sudden mood change within Yui was causing Kizashi to question Yui's relationship with him. Sakura sat in her father's arms staring back and forth between Yui and her father.

"Even Sakura will enjoy it," he shot the infant a smile and reached out to ruffle her short pink locks.

Before Kizashi was able to move Sakura away, Sakura's teeth landed right on Yui's wrist. The force in which she bit down on his skin caused Yui to tense and withdraw his arm as quickly as it came. Kizashi and Yui watched as small bite marks were imprinted on his skin and small drops of crimson blood began to slowly drip down his arm. Right as Yui was about to say anything, the doors to Kizashi's room came flying open, revealing a smiling Mebuki dressed in a tan colored form-fitting gown that reached down to her ankles.

"Are you men ready?!" She shouted with excitement as she spun around in a circle.

"Lead the way," Kizashi answered swiftly as he gently placed his hand on the curve of her back. She took his light push as a sign to go and she sprinted off towards the other crew members who allowed her to climb down to the boat.

The two men followed the overly excited Mebuki and climbed down to the row boat. It didn't take long before all 10 people were squished onto the floating object. Jai looked up to his crew and slashed the linen rope. He used his strong arms to push the row boat away from his vessel and once they were far enough away Nobu, Kyo, Kuro, Mizu, Kai, and Jai picked up an ore and pushed the packed boat back towards the shoreline.

As soon as Mebuki heard the bottom of the boat scrap against the sand she wasted no time in throwing herself off of the ship. Kizashi was still holding Sakura against his chest as he too exited the boat. Yui followed, along with Jai, Kai, Nobu, Kyo, Kuro, and Mizu.

"Make sure that boat is secure enough to stay on its own, but easy enough to push off in one push," Kai ordered Nobu.

"Look at her go," Jai said to Kizashi as he watched the young woman twirl around in the sand. "It's almost like she has never seen sand before."

"Gah bo!" Sakura shouted in baby talk as she clapped her hands in excitement, enjoying the change of scenery.

"Just like her mother," Kizashi said with a light chuckle as he walked up further on the shore bank and placed Sakura on all fours.

She twirled and twirled and twirled around in circles until the sensation of dizziness was too overwhelming for her. _It has been too long! _She thought in pure bliss as she allowed her body to fall backwards onto her back. The feeling of the sinfully soft sand against her exposed arms brought tears to her eyes. Slowly, she closed her almond eyes and released a giant sigh. _Not being able to feel the rocking of the ocean is a feeling I never thought I would miss. _She opened her eyes slowly and looked back at the pile of men that sat in a circle around her daughter. The image of the brute crew members and her husband playing with Sakura was an image she was never going to forget. Sakura's smile, even if there were only a few pearly white teeth, made Mebuki feel less guilty about causing a scene. _Sakura needed this as much as I did. _Afraid that she would miss any more action, she rolled over to her front, used her arms to push herself into a standing position, and skipped over to the small circle. As she placed herself in-between Kizashi and Jai she noticed that Yui had been standing by the boat watching the sun set.

"Is Yui not joining us?"

"He said he wanted some time alone," Kizashi answered while he continued to focus on Sakura who was trying to push the sand out of her way.

"Oh," Mebuki shrugged her shoulders and wrapped one arm around her husband's own arm.

Kizashi looked to his side and smiled at her curled up position. He could see Yui through his peripheral vision and felt a hidden smile form in the back of his mind. _I guess Yui was right, Mebuki needed this. _He followed his lively daughter as she had figured out how to hold the sand without it falling out of her hands. She even managed to throw it in Kai's face. _Even Sakura needed this._

"Kia I'm so sorry!" Mebuki said in horror as Sakura continued to grab more sand and began to fling it at Nobu next.

Kai waved Mebuki back into a sitting position and grabbed the feisty infant, "don't worry about it Mebuki, this little tyke is just havin' some fun."

"Easy for you to say," Nobu exclaimed as he proceeded to wipe the sand from his eyes.

"Guys, look, the sunset," Kyo pointed out.

At the mention of the sunset, everyone watched as the once blistering hot sun began to descend down to meet the calm sea. Rays of golden yellow and amber orange shined across the sky. The once empty light blue sky began to be littered with sparking stars. As soon as the sun met the ocean's horizon, the very sea before them acted like a mirror, causing the gold and amber rays to be projected across the sea. Everyone sat in the sand breathless of the scene before them.

"Amazing…" Mebuki gasped out, never before had she seen such a display of colors before.

Yui walked over to their small circle and managed to slide into the small gap between Kizashi and Kyo. "What a view."

"That it is," Kizashi answered, "we should head back soon before we lose any more light.

"We will get the boat ready," Kai said as he passed Sakura into Jai's outstretched hands, which then passed her to Mebuki.

"A cha!" Sakura giggled out as she threw the sand, which was still clutched in her hand, into the air.

Mebuki shook her head at the wild infant and gave her a giant hug, "Sakura what are we going to do with you? You'll blind the whole crew if you keep this up!"

"Eh, maybe some of the crew would be better if that happened," Mizu said as he shot Kuro an all-knowing look.

Kuro glared at the man and took his own pile of sand and chucked it in Mizu's direction, "I couldn't have agreed more!" Everyone laughed at the playful altercation and proceeded to stand up. Kyo, Kuro, Nobu, and Mizu joined Kai at the boat while Yui, Mebuki, Jai and Kizashi followed behind them.

Before Jai followed his crew, his trained ears heard faint footsteps coming from the jungle. His right hand immediately covered his sword on his right side, even though their group was far enough away from the jungle to impair his judgement he did not want to take any chances. "Did you hear that?"

Yui jumped to the side of Jai and sank down into a defensive stance, "hear what?"

Kizashi pulled Mebuki and Sakura behind him as he took the opposite side of Jai.

"Listen…" Jai turned his head to the side and motioned for Kai and the other men to get closer to them.

Yui and Kizashi held their breath as they tried to listen for what Jai thought he heard. Seconds seemed like hours as the entire group waited for another sound.

"There is nothing old man," Yui exclaimed as he shifted out of his stance and stood upright. "Maybe your hearing is leaving you in your old…"

Before Yui could continue with his statement an unsettling cry echoed from the jungle. Kizashi looked back to see the other men covering his back. He placed his free hand behind his back and grabbed Mebuki's arm. He forcefully pushed her and Sakura against his back. "Stay as close as possible to me." He turned his attention to Jai, "how much of a chance do you think we have of making a run for it?"

"A successful run?" Jai watched as a miniature sea of torches, lit with fire, came rushing through the jungle. He looked back at the boat and then back to the rapid moving lights, "not successful at all."

_Shit. _Kizashi cursed in his mind as he waited for an attack. He turned his attention back to Mebuki and his grip tightened around her wrist, "if things become too rough, I want you and Sakura to run into that boat, take as many of these men with you, and get back to the ship. Do not turn back and get out of here."

"But Kiz…" Mebuki didn't finish her sentence for the moving torches started to rush out of the hole that was made by Yui earlier that day.

The group watched as a large group of humans sprinted out of the jungle. Their torches held high in the air as their nimble bodies moved across the sand with precision only experience allowed. Within seconds the torch-carrying, sand walking, creatures were face-to-face with Kizashi's group. Infuriated eyes were the only facial feature not covered by deep scarlet red paint. Some possessed rubber skin-made pants, while others were only covered in a hanging leaf that hid their most sacred body part from wandering eyes. They looked back and forth between the group members and each other. With each passing moment they become more and more restless; some began to jump up and down howling into the night's sky while others stood their ground.

"What do we do?" Kai whispered from behind Kizashi.

"Do not do anything to upset them, this is their territory, we mustn't…"

"Screw this!" Yui cried out as he unsheathed his sword.

"Jai watch Mebuki and Sakura," Kizashi ordered quickly as he took a step away from his wife and ran across the other side of Jai.

His abrupt movements caused the raging humans to take a step back. They watched as Yui pointed his menacing sword in their direction and witnessed a woman and child being revealed. Whispers echoed through the group, as they watched a man throw himself against the other male that possessed the sword.

"Yui, stop!" Kizashi shouted as he rammed himself into Yui's side.

The blunt force of Kizashi's body against his own caused Yui to be flung sideways five feet away from Jai. The shocked male stood up on his feet and grabbed onto his sword. "What is wrong with you?!" He started to wave the sword around, planning on sidestepping Kizashi and running head first into the pile of bodies before him.

Kizashi took a step away from the furious Yui and grabbed him by his collar, nearly choking Yui from the sudden pressure against his esophagus. Kizashi could feel Yui's coughs and tossed him in the middle of their group. Yui stumbled to his feet while his lungs tried to gather the missing oxygen that was deprived from his lungs. Kizashi looked to Mizu and Kyo, "grab his sword," he ordered, "make sure he does nothing to set these people off."

"Hey!" Yui squirmed around in the grasps of both Kyo and Mizu, "what the hell Kiz!"

Kizashi turned to his friend and shook his head, "I'm sorry Yui, but I cannot take any chances with your rash decisions right now!"

"Kizashi, you better look at this," Jai interrupted.

In one swift motion, Kizashi returned to Jai's side staring at the bouncing people before them. Mebuki and Sakura moved away from the opening on Jai's side and stood behind both men. She did not want to put her daughter in any more danger than she had already done. _Me and my bright ideas, I shouldn't have argued to Kizashi to take us down here after he had already promised he would._

"What are they saying?" Kizashi asked Jai as he watched the people exchange unrecognizable words to each other.

"It's not anything I have ever heard before."

"Nu wa shing!" The man in the front shouted as he took a step towards Jai and Kizashi.

Kizashi slid himself between Jai and the advancing native, "please, we come in peace. We do not want any trouble."

The native looked at Kizashi with apprehension when he spoke. He turned his head towards the other natives and pulled his knife in front of his body, "Kiy su?"

"No, no!" Kizashi placed his hands up in a pleading manner, "no one needs to be killed here. Please, put the knife away."

"Kiy su?" the native asked again as he continued his steps closer to Kizashi.

Voices started to chatter in the background, voicing their own opinion of what should be done. Kizashi didn't know what to do, he had no idea what this man was about to do as he waved his knife around, hoping back and forth, side to side, around Kizashi's unguarded spots.

"Shu sa!" A voice shouted from the very back of the crowd.

The once adventurous native withdrew like he was burned by fire. He dropped his knife in the sand and scurried back into the crowd behind him, almost like a dog retreating with its tail between its legs. They watched as the sea of natives parted down the middle, making a path for the one who screamed.

This new man held his head high, sporting a crown covered in thorns and two bright orange colored leaves that were folded over the top of his head. However, his face was not painted like all the others, his face clear of any type of paint. His wide shoulders, chest, and legs was covered in the same rubber-like material. His muscular legs guided him down the sand, it was as if he was hovering over the sand.

When he reached the end of the hill, the man with the crown stood only a few feet away. Calm amber met questionable emerald eyes as the two stared at each other, neither one of them moved. The overly muscular man broke eye contact to pick up the fallen knife that rested in the sand. Kizashi watched with caution as the man took the knife and held it for a couple of seconds. _What is he going to do? _Kizashi made no attempt to move and when the man chuck the knife behind him, back into the small crowd, he couldn't help by release an imaginary sigh of relief.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The man suddenly spoke.

_He speaks our language! _Kizashi looked into the man's eyes with seriousness and a hint of relief. "My name is Kizashi Haruno," he turned his body to the side as he pointed to the men behind him, and beside him, "these are my crew members."

A slight twitch of the mouth came from the man before Kizashi, "what brings you to my island?"

"A voyage funded by my Governor. We have been looking for ways to expand our country, I had heard of rumors that said there was one island that was still uninhabited by any human or country. I followed that rumor and here I am, before you at this very moment."

Yui started to struggle against Mizu and Kyo's grasp, "Kiz you shouldn't be telling him anything! What the hell are you doing?!"

Kizashi ignored his friend and continued to hold the man's gaze, "I know it is not in my best interest to ask questions but who are you?"

A short chuckle erupted from deep within the man's chest, "Kizashi Haruno, you are an inquisitive one. My name is Haruki." He answered as he looked at the people behind Kizashi, assessing each and every one of them one-by-one.

"A boo!" A small voice cut through the tension like a knife trying to cut butter.

The sudden sound caused Haruki to turn his attention to the location of the noise, "what was that?"

Kizashi stared at Mebuki, who was hiding behind Jai, with a horrid expression. He watched in horror as his wife took a step out from behind Jai and politely bowed in Haruki's direction. "I apologize Sir, my daughter is only an infant," she answered as she held Sakura close to her chest as she bowed slightly.

The man turned his attention back to Kizashi, "Where are you from?"

"We are from a country called the Shimogakure, the Land of Iron," Jai answered as he followed Mebuki's lead and bowed in respect.

Haruki's amber eyes widen slightly at the information. "That is quite a journey. I commend you for coming this far, but you must leave."

Kizashi nodded his head, took a step back, and bowed deeply in respect. "Yes Sir Haruki, we will sail away and you will never see us again. I will make sure that our country does not come back to your island."

At this sudden release of information it caught everyone, even Haruki, off-guard. Yui started to thrash violently within his captures' grasps and managed to break free. The irritated man pounded his feet into the sand and marched right behind Kizashi. He grabbed Kizashi's shoulder and spun him around forcefully.

"Are you nuts?!" Yui shouted. "We did not sail across the world to go back empty handed! The Governor said that if we ran into anyone on this island we were ordered to kill them!"

Haruki narrowed his eyes at the loud-mouth blue haired man. _Was that this man's plan all along? _His body became tense as he positioned his left hand over the hidden sword tucked in the waistband of his rubber pants. He would be damned if these strangers were going to take his island.

"Yui did you not hear him?!" Kizashi shouted out of pure frustration. "Look at them!" he turned Yui's attention to the crowd of people behind him, "this is their home. I can't kill them! It would be like someone coming to our home and killing everything we have ever known. I would rather lie to our Governor than be part of any type of senseless killing."

Yui's face turned tomato red. He eyed Kizashi with pure hatred and with the raise of his fist; he punched the man square in the jaw. Kizashi did not move from his spot, he took the punch like a man and simply stared at Yui with a blank expression.

"I'm sick of you messing everything up. I should have been the one in charge!" He turned his back on his old time friend and faced a trembling Mebuki, "come with me, I will give you everything that pathetic man could never give you."

Mebuki felt her whole body burn with hatred as Yui spoke those words, "you can go to hell," she spat out as she stepped away from him and joined her rightful place by her husband's side. "He is more of a man than you will ever be."

His hands began to shake with even more anger, "Fine! The hell with you all!" He grabbed his fallen sword in the sand and sheathed it to his side. He walked over to the row boat and began to push it out away from the land, "you'll see Kiz, you all will see! I'm going to go back to Iron and tell the Governor where to find you all! You were always such a pussy Kiz, always too nice for your own good. Now you will get what you deserve."

Jai looked between his crew members and back at Kizashi, "Captain, it was an honor serving you, but I can't allow him back on my ship, we have to follow him."

"Jai do what you have to do," the next statement made Kizashi nearly choke up in sadness at the realization of his words, "and…if you…if you need to kill Yui, do it. Tell the Governor that we both died during the voyage and that the island doesn't exist. You deserve all of the reward money. Take it with a guilty-free conscience."

"Of course…Kizashi," Jai said with a sad smile before him and his men ran after Yui by swimming full speed towards the row boat.

Haruki stood in the background as he watched the strangers interacted amongst each other. _The wisdom this man has is astounding. _He found himself forming a certain type of respect for the man, even if he had only spoken several sentences with him before his partner went insane. _Question is why did he stay on my island? For all he knows I could order my men to kill him…it seems like that is the risk he has chosen to take._

"Why didn't you follow them?" Haruki asked, itching to hear Kizashi's answer.

At the sound of Haruki's calm authoritative voice, Kizashi slowly turned his attention away from the dark blue waters and directed his attention to a much more pressing matter at hand. His once sad eyes changed to determination, now was the time to make sure that this man would not kill his family. _Not after everything we have been through._

"Sakura is only an infant. Swimming through that water would have killed her," he stated calmly as he wrapped his right arm around a concerned Mebuki.

Haruki looked away from Kizashi and stared at his young daughter who sat patiently in her mother's arm. _What odd hair color. _He thought to himself as he examined the small amount of pink hair that was growing on the top of her head. "That isn't your only reason is it?"

"No," Kizashi slowly retracted his arm away from his wife's shoulders and took a small step towards Haruki.

The sudden motion caused the members behind Haruki to become unsettled. The same native that exposed his knife to Kizashi and his crew jumped to Haruki's side, crutching down low to the sand, waiting to attack.

"Ma na su?!" He yelled as he reached down to his side and began to pull his knife out once again.

Mebuki let out a small gasp as she watched the small amount of moonlight reflect off of the metal blade. "Kizashi," she whispered softly as she pressed her body against his back.

Kizashi stood his ground, eyeing the man with the knife, the desire to protect his family shined brightly in his eyes. This desire did not go unnoticed by Haruki and he raised his hand in the air, signaling his rumbustious partner to stop his advances.

The man stood as still as stone when he saw Haruki raise his hand in the air. He turned away from the outsider and stared in disbelief at his leader, "Ba nau?" he groaned out.

"Sa sha," Haruki commanded, leaving no room for the man to argue with his command.

Mebuki and Kizashi watched in disbelief at how easily the once wild man was tamed so easily. "Thank you," Mebuki snuck out from behind Kizashi and bowed as low as she could possibly go with Sakura in her arms.

"Answer the question," Haruki demanded, ignoring Mebuki's gratefulness.

"My hope is that we can work together. I have worked closely with my Governor and Yui, I know if I asked you to leave you will not consider it. This is a mess that I created and I will do whatever it takes to make sure I can make it right again. Yui will come back and hit your home with everything he has."

Haruki was shocked at the stern words that flowed out of the man's mouth. _How interesting… _He looked at the head-strong man and then to his wife. Just by the tone of her husband's words, she changed from a cowering woman to a more firm woman. _The bond these two share is unlike any other, it reminds me of my wife Sayu. _The sudden realization caused Haruki to tear up on the inside.

A small smile spilled across Haruki's face, "well Kizashi Haruno you are not like any other man I have met," he slowly bowed towards Kizashi causing all of the natives behind him to gasp in awe.

To say Kizashi was a little shocked was an understatement, not knowing what to do he just stood there flabbergasted by the sudden change in events. "Thank you…?" was the only words Kizashi could speak.

The apprehension behind Kizashi trying to accept Haruki's compliment caused the larger-than-life man to chuckle. Haruki took a step forward and slapped Kizashi on the back. "Come this way," Haruki stood by Kizashi's side while Kizashi gathered his wife and child and followed the natives up the sand hill, through the jungle, and to the opposite side of the island.

Unfortunately neither Kizashi nor Mebuki could see the path in which they were traveling; the sky scraping trees blocked the small source of light, causing them to rely on the torches that were scattered amongst the group of natives that surrounded them. The walk through the confusing layout of the jungle felt like it took forever; Kizashi could see his wife growing tired from all of the extensive walking. The only form of encouragement he could give her was taking Sakura from her arms and using his free hand to help her over the thick roots that covered the ground.

"We are almost there," Haruki said, noticing the struggling woman beside him. "It won't be long now."

"I can handle it," Mebuki said as she gently brushed away her husband and continued to dodge the roots without faulting over them.

It didn't take much longer for them to reach the beginning of a clearing within the heart of the jungle. Before them was a thriving village. A large gate made from two giant tropical trees, their branches intertwined against each other as their green spiked-shaped leaves protruded out in every direction. Their thick trunks sported miniature purple flowers that climbed up the trunks like ivy, hoping to one day reach the top of the trees.

Once the group crossed underneath the nature-made gate, they continued to follow the dirt path deeper into the clearing. As soon as they crossed into the clearing, the number of natives that followed them began to decrease. Kizashi and Mebuki watched as other natives stood outside their nature-made hut, staring intently at the outsiders that their leader led further into the village. Small torches were placed outside each home and Mebuki and Kizashi continued to follow Haruki towards the center of town. They could hear whispers fill the air as they walked into the middle of town.

Right in the middle of the clearing was a tree with billions of cerulean blue flowers spread across the thick branches of the ancient tree. Hanging from each branch was trillions of candle lit lanterns, but these lanterns were not like the typical lanterns back in Shimogakure, made from iron, instead the base of the lantern had a woven pattern made from different types of ivy, stems, and thin delicate branches. The candle's light illuminated a dance of designs around the outskirts of the scared tree.

"That is our sacred tree," Haruki mentioned in passing as they walked past the tree and continued towards a larger nature-made hut. "This is my home, come inside," he said as he pulled the dark brown bark door open.

Mebuki and Kizashi didn't say a word and followed him into the home. Once they all were in the home, Haruki walked over to several areas in the home and lit several candles. Each candle extended down towards the dirt floor, a small dish made of enamel covered the dirt floor, catching the melting wax as it fell. Haruki made his way around, lighting all of the different colored candles, allowing Mebuki and Kizashi to fully study the inside of the home.

They stood in a quant living space, two couches, framed from tree bark and sand filled cushions providing the needed comfort. To their right there was a small area with some chairs, that possessed sand filled cushions, circled around a fire pit. Small shelves made out of different types of bark and lined with fish skin held several different types of utensils and weapons. Before they could pry anymore, Haruki came out from the two rooms hidden on the other side of the house.

"This is my home," he explained to them as he outstretched his arms to allow them a better look at everything. "As you can see, this is my resting area and the area where I prepare meals," he turned to his right and extended a hand towards the two empty rooms, "the room with the green candle is my room," He closed his eyes and opened them before he pointed to the other room, "the room with the orange candle will be your room."

Mebuki walked up to Haruki and planted a soft kiss on the side of his cheek, "there are no words that can describe our thankfulness and gratefulness for your kind hospitality. Thank you for taking us strangers into your beautiful town and home, I know it is not something easy," she flashed him a sweet smile.

Haruki gave Mebuki a small nod, "your husband showed qualities that I have not encountered in a man in a very long time," he turned to the squirming Sakura in Kizashi's arms, "and I could not sentence this child to death."

Sakura looked up at the giant man as he placed his hand on her head and ruffled her short pink locks. Her sweet, innocent, giggle echoed through the empty home causing every adult to slightly chuckle. Her confused expression caused everyone to forget, slightly, of the events that had transpired within the past 24 hours.

"Mebuki, take Sakura into the room, you two have had a long day," Kizashi said as he kissed the top of Sakura's forehead.

"Okay," she took Sakura from her husband's hands and began to walk towards her new room, "don't you two stay up too late now," she ordered in a motherly tone as she disappeared into the room.

"You have a good wife Kizashi Haruno," Haruki stated as he motioned for Kizashi to take a seat on one of his couches.

"Mebuki is one-of-a-kind," he said with a loving smile as he slowly sat on the surprisingly comfortable couch. He watched as Haruki lifted one of the chairs from around the fire pit and stationed it in front of him. "Is it just you in this home?"

The innocent question caught Haruki off-guard, slightly. His amber eyes stared at the floor for several moments before he brought his attention back to Kizashi, "it is now." When he answered that question, he found this strange desire to tell Kizashi, a man he just met hours ago, everything about himself. _Remarkable. _Never before had he felt such energy from any human before.

"Oh…" he thought carefully about his next comment, "I apologize for whatever happened."

Haruki smiled at the small apology the man gave him. _Yes, what a remarkable man indeed. _"I had a wife about 7 full moon cycles ago," he began, shocked that he was allowing himself to tell this man everything, "she died when giving birth to my son Sai."

"I'm so sorry," Kizashi expressed as he sat in the couch thinking of what he would be like if Mebuki died while giving birth to Sakura. _I would be a mess, a horrible mess. _"You have my upmost admiration for being able to handle such a tragedy." _But if this house is empty…what happened to his son? _But that was a question he did not dare to ask.

"Sai didn't live long," he continued on with his gloomy story, "he died a few days later because of the rough battle he had inside my wife."

"Sir Haruki," Kizashi got up from his spot on the couch and sat on the other side of the couch, closer to Haruki, "I can't begin to understand the pain you go through every day," he made eye contact with the leader that was slowly entering a depressing state. "Think of Mebuki, Sakura, and I as your adoptive family. You have done enough for my family, mainly keeping us alive, and not throwing us to the hands of one of your natives or the wilderness or the ocean. Think of Sakura as your second child."

Haruki could feel the energy emitting from Kizashi as he spoke his true feelings. "I am a mere stranger and you are offering a relationship with you, your wife, and your daughter…" he looked deep into the depths of Kizashi's emerald eyes trying to find some type of reason behind his actions, "why? You just met me…"

"And you just met me," Kizashi combated, "you gave my family and I a chance to live another day and for that the respect, loyalty, and trust I hold for you is what is allowing me to offer this. It is the least I can do," he softly stated.

"Your ability to trust others is remarkable," Haruki said as he felt his nightly depression begin to vanish, "though it does blind you to the evilness of others."

Kizashi scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "you sound like Mebuki," he answered with a sheepish smile.

"I am grateful Kizashi Haruno."

"You're grateful? I'm the one that should be kissing your feet! And Kizashi is just fine," he added in.

The two men looked at each other and suddenly began laughing uncontrollably at their conversation. Their roaring laughter caused the once silent home to be filled with happiness. It didn't take long for the men to find themselves out of breath from the severity of their laughter. Kizashi found himself blinking away the few tears that escaped his eyes while Haruki's cheeks were cherry red from the pressure of his laughter.

"Well Kizashi, I believe this is a start of a new friendship," he stated as he stood up from his chair and extended his hand.

"Agreed," Kizashi answered as he stuck out his hand and the two of them exchanged a life changing hand shake.

"Tomorrow I will give you, Mebuki, and Sakura a tour of my island," and with that the two men walked into their own rooms and welcomed the sleep that was calling their names.

* * *

"This is our center of town," Haruki said as they stood in front of the sacred tree from last night. The cerulean flowers seemed even more magical as the sun's rays shined down on the petite pedals of the full blooming flowers. "All of our homes are centered around this tree."

"Is there a reason?" Mebuki asked.

"It makes the people here feel at peace. Some come to the tree for answers, while others find it a symbol of life. Every person has their own view," he turned away from the tree and waved for them to follow him towards the east gate stationed about 1,000 feet away. "Come this way, there is something I want to show you three."

The four of them walked across the center of town towards the eastern gates. Multiple natives waved and smiled at Haruki while staring sheepishly at the three unfamiliar people by his side.

"Are they nervous because we are here?" Mebuki asked with concern as she tried to smile at them, only to have some of them run away in horror.

Haruki chuckled lightly at her question, "they are more curious than scared. Some are wondering what I am going to do to you."

"Mebuki, you would be scared if you saw new people parading around with the Governor."

"I guess that's true."

They reached the eastern gate that looked just like the gate they passed late last night and crossed underneath it. Haruki waved at them to follow him deeper into the same jungle they dealt with last night. Mebuki carried Sakura through the surprisingly clear path while Kizashi stood in the front with Haruki, exchanging light conversation to pass the time. It didn't take long before the jungle started to decrease in size. Once they came across the smaller red Ti plants, that Yui effortlessly cut down on the other side of the island, Kizashi had a feeling they would be entering another coast line. Haruki pushed back the tall red plant and allowed Kizashi and Mebuki to walk in front of him. As soon as they crossed over from the jungle to the sand they couldn't help but ogle at the beautiful ocean before them.

"It's just as beautiful as before," Mebuki's eyes lit up with excitement as she ran towards the coast line and allowed Sakura to crawl around the same sinfully soft sand.

"Judging by the look on your people, they do not encounter a lot of strangers," Kizashi concluded as he and Haruki descended down the sand mound and joined Mebuki by the ocean.

"Because of our location, we are well hidden from outsiders," he turned his head to Kizashi and Mebuki, "actually, you are the first outsiders ever to have found us."

"Why is that?" Mebuki asked with curiosity. "We heard of tons of countries that have tried to make this journey. Some pirates have tried to make their way here too with no success."

"That is a secret only a pure native leader, like myself, will ever know," he answered with a wink in Mebuki's direction.

"How do we become natives, like you?" Kizashi asked. "If we are going to live here we might as well learn the ways of your people."

Haruki flashed the two adults a mysterious smirk, "to become a native of my island you have to follow our beliefs and engage in the most sacred ritual."

"What kind of ritual and beliefs?" Mebuki asked.

Before Haruki could answer Mebuki's question, a cooing baby sound was heard from the distance. Kizashi, Mebuki, and Haruki turned to see baby Sakura sitting in the ocean petting a sea creature. Its giant white head was the size of a row boat and even for its monstrous size it laid as still as the calming ocean while the infant began to run her microscopic hands against the endless dark blue stripes, which ran along the side of its head. Mebuki was about to run to scoop her baby into her arms, but Haruki's light hold on her wrist stopped her.

"Mr. Haruki, please I have to get Sakura!"

Haruki stared wide eyed at the scene before him, "hold on a second Mebuki."

Mebuki looked to Kizashi for assistance to argue with the man's strange demand but Kizashi could only shake his head. Even though Kizashi had no idea why the man wanted to delay them from grabbing Sakura away from the giant creature he knew that Haruki wouldn't put Sakura in danger.

They stood back and watched as Sakura used her stubby little arms to get closer to the slippery creature. The creature's beady blue eyes watched the infant stroke its small head lightly. Sakura placed her small hand in front of the creature's mouth, trying to understand the shape of the small protruding nostrils; this caused the creature to open its mouth. The sudden action caused Mebuki and squeal in fright as she watched her daughter keep her hand in front of the enormous sized mouth of the sea creature. The creature's long, sharp, menacing teeth were the size of Sakura herself but because of the innocence of baby Sakura, she did not retract her small hand. Instead, she kept it there feeling the breath of the animal tickle against her entire body. This sensation caused Sakura to giggle out loud, causing the creature to close its mouth and bring its body further onto the shore. Kizashi and Mebuki watched with anticipation as the gigantic creature revealed more of its intimidating size.

"Are eels supposed to be that big?" Mebuki asked with horror as she examined the two fins that exited out on either side of the creature's neck.

Haruki took a step forward and gently guided the two stunned parents to follow him, "here on this island we have a special creature," he managed to get the two parents and himself in front of the eel. He bowed deeply towards the eel and not knowing what else to do, Kizashi and Mebuki followed his lead.

"It's been a long time Katsuyu," Haruki said as he returned to a standing position.

"Um, Mr. Haruki, you realize you're talking…" Mebuki didn't dare to finish her sentence for Katsuyu was staring right at her. Her whole body didn't move as the piercing blue eyes stared her down, as if studying Mebuki's very soul.

"Is she yours Haruki?" Katsuyu asked in a calming, but powerful, voice.

The idea of a talking eel caused Kizashi and Mebuki to stare in disbelief. Kizashi could feel his mouth opening from the amount of shock he was feeling. _An eel…an eel is talking to us…_

Haruki shook his head, "no she is not," he turned to the shocked parents and pushed them forward, "these are our new arrivals, she belongs to them."

Katsuyu's eyes rolled towards the side of her body only to see Sakura trying to climb onto her back. A ground shaking chuckle escaped the eel's mouth as she watched the determined Sakura try so hard to climb something Katsuyu knew she would never be able to climb. Her beady eyes returned to Haruki, "it looks like you have a very special one here," and with that she gently nuzzled against Sakura's microscopic body before she slithered back into the ocean.

Sakura watched with disappointing eyes as the eel disappeared into the ocean. Mebuki took this as a sign to grab her daughter, she never felt so happy to have her daughter back in her arms. Even being in her mother's arms didn't bring Sakura's attention away from the ocean.

"Oh Sakura! Are you okay?" Mebuki held Sakura away from her to check for any injuries and was relieved to find not even a small scratch on her body.

"What happened exactly?" Kizashi said as his eyes blinked a couple of times.

Haruki chuckled and motioned for them to follow him. "You just met our guardian."

"Guardian?"

"Yes. She guards our island from strangers that are not welcomed on my island. There is a lot you must learn to be considered a native here," Haruki turned around and stared at the suddenly silent Sakura, "and because of Sakura, it seems that you have the blessing of the island to become a very important native to my island."

"So what do we need to do?" Kizashi asked again.

"Every time there is a full moon in the sky, the entire village gets together and we light a giant fire on the sand. Sometimes the fires reach as tall as the sky, and during this time a select group of people jump into the ocean and grab several eels. We take these eels and gut them from head to tail," he explained as he reached into the ocean and grabbed the head of a small eel. He pulled out his small knife, mumbled a few foreign words, and drove his knife into the skull of the eel.

Kizashi and Mebuki watched as Haruki took his knife and began to gut the eel from head to tail like he explained several seconds ago. "Normally we utilize everything about an eel, use its rubbery-like skin as clothing or use it as roofing materials to our homes, its meat would be used as food for days to come, it's teeth are turned into plates for our candles, and last but not least…" he stopped momentarily as he broke open the skull of the eel and pulled out a slippery organ, "the brain."

Mebuki stared in horror at the brain in his hands, "what in God's name do you do with the brain?!"

"Well," Haruki took his bloody knife and proceeded to cut a sliver of the raw organ, "we eat it."

"You're kidding," Mebuki looked horrified and all the color washed away from her already pale completion.

"You see, our belief is that every animal or human that is killed is reincarnated as a sea creature, any sea creature. We view as the eel as the most powerful creature in the sea. Its boneless body causes it to wander the ocean without getting caught. They are cunning, strategic, and fearless. We eat the brain of the eel hoping to inherit these traits."

"I will not eat that."

Kizashi studied the sliver of eel brain sitting in Haruki's hands. _What a strange culture. _He thought back to Sakura's encounter with the talking eel and suddenly realized what the confrontation could have possibly meant to Haruki. _Having that eel…no…Katsuyu personally interact with Sakura basically told Haruki that he could trust us and make us part of his village. _Without saying a word, Kizashi took the piece of brain from his hands. He examined the brain for a brief second before he closed his eyes, plugged his nose, and shoved the part of the organ into his mouth.

"Kizashi!"

The two of them watched as Kizashi's face transformed into several expressions and emotions. At first his face conveyed as sense of shock, then disgust, and slowly the more Kizashi chewed the more his face showed a sign of satisfaction.

"It's actually…not that bad."

Mebuki's mouth dropped to the floor, "you're kidding?"

Haruki cut off another piece of the brain and placed it in his hand, "I promise you won't die from it."

Mebuki passed Sakura to Kizashi and took the piece of brain into her shaking hands. She stared at it with apprehension, not truly sure how to take the action that she was about to perform. _If only my father could see me now. _She thought as she pictured her father dying, a second time, at the idea of his baby girl eating raw brains. _Bottoms up! _She cheered herself on as she quickly plopped the brain into her mouth.

"And…?"

Her whole body shivered in response, "all I can say is that I'm happy we only do that once in a while."

"Well, we have to catch you three up with the rest of the natives, so instead of eating it once every full moon, you guys will be eating brains for a while," he said as he cut a miniature piece of brain and quickly placed it into Sakura's mouth. Sakura swallowed the brain without a second thought and extended her hands out as if to ask for more.

"Looks like she takes after her father," Mebuki said in relief as she took Sakura back into her arms. _At least I won't have to force feed my child brains. _

"We better continue our tour," Haruki reached down to the dead eel and buried her into the sand. _May your life be better as another sea creature. Please forgive me for using only for your brain, but it was Katsuyu's command. _He then turned towards the jungle once again and led them deeper into the back of the island.

* * *

They arrived at the very back of the island where another clearing was made. Many natives were sitting against trees, laughing and communicating with others, having a great time. Above the clearing was a gigantic waterfall that rushed into a small cove where young children and families swam around. Multiple vines hung from various tropical trees, some children were swinging through the air on the vines while others used the vines as a way to splash into the waterfall.

"Up this way," Haruki waved towards the path that led to the top of the waterfall.

The climb to the top of the waterfall was nothing short of difficult. Mebuki found herself handing over Sakura to Kizashi to allow herself the ability to drag her own body weight up the steep climb. Kizashi tried to keep up with Haruki's pace but found that it wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to be. Right when the two of them thought they couldn't make it to the top of the waterfall, they realized they had finally made it to the top. The scene before them was breathtaking; they could see the entire island's south coast line. The way the sun's golden hues would skim across the sparkling ocean and the way the waves would crash against the jagged rocks below them made Kizashi and Mebuki feel a sense of accept to their new home.

"Za za za!" a voice shouted from the distance.

The four of them watched as a group of teenagers took a running start across the waterfall's platform. They watched in awe as the boys and girls flew across the cliff and soared into the air. Suddenly, Mebuki's motherly sense started to kick in.

"Mr. Haruki you have to stop them! Those rocks down there are deadly!"

"Don't worry about them Mebuki, the spirit of the eel is within them, if they live it would mean that the eel's spirit is thriving strong within them."

"Do all teenagers do crazy stunts like that?" She asked as they passed by the vey path they ran across.

"My people are fearless, just like the eel. That is only a small portion of what they try to do."

"Kizashi, I believe you're going to be a widow sooner than you think," she told him kiddingly as she looked at the sleeping Sakura. _If she is lively now, I can only imagine what she will be like in ten years! _Her comment caused both Haruki and Kizashi to chuckle lightly at her small joke.

"Come on, there is one place I want to show you," Haruki said as he increased his pace as they started to walk down a hill.

Their small journey stopped in front of a cave that resided at the bottom of the hill. Haruki checked all around them before he motioned for them to follow him into the cave's mouth. Kizashi and Mebuki walked very close to his side as they entered the pitch black opening of the cave. Haruki reached down into his pocket and pulled out a small torch. He lit it quickly and stood in front of four different tunnels.

"What I am about to show you is something only my bloodline has knowledge of. Please stay close if you wish to get in and out of here in one piece."

With that being said, Haruki started to walk down one of the four tunnels. They walked around ditches, fallen rocks, and across uneasy bridges. It was easy to see if a person did not know their way around the tunnel they would never be able to escape the confusing layout. Thanks to Haruki's frequent visits into this cave, he lead his new natives through the tunnel with great ease, it didn't take them long to reach their final destination. Haruki blew out his torch, allowing the skylight at the very top of the cave to light up the entire opened space.

As the sunlight trickled down the giant hole in the ceiling, the rays bounced off of the crystal-like walls, causing bright beams of light to sway and dance around the walls and floors. As the base of the main beam of light, there was a large platform that possessed an elegant crystal stand. Haruki pointed towards the crystal stand and brought them to the top of the platform. At the top of the crystal platform, there was a vibrant red colored stone. It's bright crystal-like formation gleamed in the light showing its beauty shamelessly.

"What is it?" Kizashi asked as he walked around the stand, looking at the stone at all different angles. _What a rate stone. _His eyes scanned the flawless sphere-like shape.

"Depends who you ask, some say it's a stone, others say it's an egg."

"What do you call it?" Mebuki asked as she approached the mysterious item, eyes wide as the stone in front of here. _Even the Governor's wife doesn't possess jewels as big as this one!_

"My family calls it an egg," he stated bluntly.

"Where did it come from? What does it do?"

Haruki smirked at Kizashi's question, "where it came from is debatable. When I was a boy I was told that this is an egg. This egg was bestowed by the Sea God as a present to his mortal wife. You see, Gods weren't allowed to take mortals as wives, it was forbidden, but the Sea God fell in love by this beautiful maiden that rivaled the beauty of the sea. Any human that cold rival the beauty of the sea was someone the Sea God needed. He snuck behind the God's back and spent a lot of alone time with the beautiful human. The Gods found out and banished him to the sea. Before they banish the Sea God, he gave her this island and egg so he could watch over her. Having her on an island would allow him to be able to touch her and feel close to her even during his banishment. This egg that she was given was designed to grant her any wish she desired, all it needed was a prick of her blood. Time passed and the Sea God saw that she gave birth to his child. This caused the Sea God to create Katsuyu, granting her god-like powers in ensure that she could guard this scared place. The maiden used the egg to create an small batch of humans. This is how my ancestors were created."

"Remarkable," Kizashi said with new found belief. If he didn't come across Katsuyu earlier he would not have believed Haruki's story. "So, this egg basically grants any wish you desire?"

"Yes, but only a native that is approved by the Sea God himself has the ability to use it," He turned to the curious family and took a step off the platform. "I showed this room to you because Katsuyu said your daughter was special. There has never been an outsider accepted by the very Sea God's guardian. You two mustn't come here without me."

"Don't worry about that Haruki," Kizashi said with a reassuring smile. "We have no reason to trespass on your family's grounds. I do appreciate giving us some background on your island, but we will make sure Sakura doesn't come here unless you command it."

"Of course," he said with a small smile at the respectfulness Kizashi continued to show him. "We better return to the village, a giant fest is being thrown to celebrate your acceptance as new natives," and with that the four of them exited the cave and headed back to the cave where Haruki, Kizashi, Mebuki's and Sakura's lives would change forever.

* * *

A year had passed since that day, and Kizashi and Mebuki adjusted quite well to their new living arrangements. Every day Kizashi would join Haruki in his office trying to plan for the day Yui might return to the island. Mebuki spent most of her time at the ocean, trying to learn the ways of fishing and to keep a close eye on her one year old daughter, who was already showing signs of daring actions. Sakura was a brave little one year old, she would test her mother's patience every day by jumping too deep into the ocean, sometimes Mebuki couldn't get to Sakura fast enough, but thankfully Katsuyu was always there to make sure Sakura was safe. It turned out that Katsuyu and Sakura possessed a pretty rare relationship and other natives knew that, causing Mebuki to receive presents every now and again.

One day, Mebuki and Sakura were enjoying their daily routine on the sand. Mebuki was laying down enjoying the sun beating down on her skin while Sakura walked around the water and splashing Katsuyu with all of her might.

_Life couldn't be better. _Mebuki thought with a smile as she watched Sakura and Katsuyu "play" together. _At first I didn't think this whole place was going to work, and now look at how far we have come. _She finished her thought and looked out into the horizon. At first she was blinded by the sun, but once she placed her hand over her eyes her entire body went ridged. _Oh no! _She jumped to her feet and grabbed Sakura in a hurried manner.

"Mebuki, what is wrong?" Katsuyu asked as she studied the horrid expression written all over her face.

"H-He…he is here!" She shouted as she pointed towards the horizon.

Katsuyu slithered back into the ocean and hoisted her lengthy body into the air. Before her large god-like size was a boat, not just any boat, a vessel dressed for war. Katsuyu watched as black cannons stuck out on all sides of the vessel and continued at full speed towards their shore. "Go tell Haruki and Kizashi!" Katsuyu shouted as she sunk back into the ocean and started to thrash her body against the vessel, hoping to sink the ship before it reached the coastline.

Mebuki wasted no time and sprinted off into the jungle. Her nimble feet guided her and Sakura through the forest and through the village. It took her seconds to locate her husband and Haruki.

"Yui! It's Yui!" She shouted as she slammed open their office doors. Kizashi and Haruki stared at the hyperventilating woman with blank expressions.

"Are you sure Mebuki?" Kizashi asked as he tried to calm her down.

"Yes! Sakura and I were at the shoreline and his boat came through the coast line! Katsuyu went out trying to buy us some time. We have to hurry!"

"Stay here, we will gather everyone," Haruki demanded as he and Kizashi ran out of the house and into the center of town.

Mebuki watched from the window of the resting area as every native gathered their weapons and followed Haruki to the coastline. She turned to the worried Sakura and then to her bedroom. _I can't have them fight alone! _Her inner-native feelings started to shine through as she bolted into her room, grabbed her bow and arrows, strapped Sakura to her back and began to run off after them. Before she stepped outside their home she felt the weight of Sakura's body behind her. Her motherly instincts began to conflict with her daredevil side. _What if Sakura gets hurt? _She looked into the distance and heard cannons beginning to fire. _I don't have time to debate this! Kizashi needs me! _She turned her head to the side and started briefly at Sakura. _I will hide her in the bushes when I get there._

By the time Mebuki arrived at the shore, it was already too late. Yui was standing at the center of the chaos, hoisting his sword into the air and directing every soldier to attack every corner of the shore, hoping to kill every native on the island. Mebuki looked around to see small piles of bodies, a mix of soldiers and natives, roasting in the sun. The scent of gun powder filled her nostrils as the cannons continued to be fired across the shore and into the jungle.

"Mebuki run!" Kizashi shouted as he slammed his sword into another soldier. The soldier's blood sprayed across Kizashi's body and oozed into the sand. His once clean body was dyed red from the amount of blood that exited the dead soldier.

She pulled out her bow and arrows and ignored her husband's request, "like hell I would leave you alone!" She shouted as she released an arrow from her bow and hit the head of a random soldier. Her determined eyes watched as the soldier stopped dead in his tracks and crashed into the sand.

"Don't think you all will escape me!" Yui shouted as an evil cackle roared out of his mouth.

Mebuki watched as the mentally insane Yui started to thrust his sword into every native that crossed his path. She watched in horror as he made a straight line towards her husband. Taking a deep breath in, she raised her bow and arrow and aimed for Yui's head. _Die! _She shouted in her head as she was about to release her arrow.

"Mebuki! Move!" Haruki shouted as he watched in horror as a cannon came flying in her direction.

Mebuki turned her attention away from Yui and Kizashi only to see a black ball flying through the sky. _Crap! _She dropped her bow and arrow and started sprinting over the stand as fast as her legs to carry her. Only missing the cannon by a few inches, Mebuki could feel the vibration of the cannon landing into the jungle that was behind her. The sudden collision of the cannon and the jungle caused an explosion to erupt. The massive amounts of gun powder that resided in the cannon caused a fire to break out in the jungle. The once vibrant, exotic, living plants started to wither away within the flames.

The sudden explosion caused Mebuki to soar through the air. Her hands extended out in front of her as she felt her body slam against the sand and skid across the shore, into the water. The magnitude of the impact rendered her useless for a few minutes, the inability to move her body was frustrating. All she could do was watch as soldier after soldier stabbed her friends. She watched in horror as the natives' blood splattered out of their chests and their bodies sank into the sand. Their once wholesome, untouched, island was slowly being covered in blood. Everywhere she looked she could see carters in the sand from the cannons. She wanted to desperately stand on her feet and attack the very soldiers; she once supported, and drive any sharp object into the base of their skull.

"Wah!" the sudden cry from Sakura caused Mebuki to freeze in horror. _Sakura! _She was so caught up with everything that was happening that she never hid her away from the violence.

Her mobility slowly came back and once she was able to fully move her legs and arms, she detached Sakura from her back and pressed Sakura against her chest. "Oh Sakura I'm so sorry!" She kissed the top of her forehead and gave her another hug. "Please, please forgive me." Mebuki wasted no time and placed Sakura near a rock that was furthest from the violence, but close to the sea. She turned to the ocean and screamed out, "Katsuyu!"

As predicted, the eel arrived at Mebuki's feet in a flash. The merciless battle had taken its toll on the poor creature. Dried blood was scattered across her entire snake-like body and her eyes shined with tiredness Mebuki thought she would never witness. "Yes Mebuki?" She answered in an exhausted tone.

"I have to help Haruki and Kizashi. Please protect Sakura," she bent down to Sakura and kissed her forehead, "please forgive sweetheart. I love you."

"I will guard her with my life," Katsuyu said as she inched her way up to the shore and placed her beaten body in front of Sakura's body like a shield.

"Thank you," Mebuki said as she bowed towards Katsuyu.

The woman grabbed a fallen soldier's sword and ran into battle, slicing away at every man that dared to get in her way. She saw that Haruki was outnumbered 1 to 4 and she sprinted towards his direction. "Hai ya!" She shouted as she stabbed her sword straight through a soldier's back. The force of her attack caused the sword to protrude through his stomach.

The sudden war cry caused Haruki to take his own two swords and thrust them into the two soldiers' chests that were closest to him. "Nice of you to join Mebuki," he said as he ripped the swords out of their dead bodies.

Mebuki kicked the fallen soldier's body and engaged into battle with the remaining soldier. "I can't let you have all the fun!" She shouted as she managed to dodge the man's swipe.

Haruki grabbed his sword and positioned himself behind the unsuspecting soldier. He gave Mebuki a nod of approval, causing her to continue dodging the man's impatient swiping. The ignorant soldier thought she was running out of energy and pressed even more forward, hoping to connect her neck with his sword. Unfortunately for him, Haruki was planning the same fate for him. Before the soldier could move any closer to Mebuki, Haruki took his sword and used all of his might to slice through the man's neck. They watched as Haruki's sword moved effortlessly across the soldier's neck and as soon as the sword exited the soldier's neck his head disconnected with his body and his body fell backwards into the sand.

"What bloodshed," Haruki said sadly. _Ancestors, please forgive me. _He thought to himself as he took a second to inspect the pile of bodies, smell of burning gun fire, and the ear piercing screams of his people.

"Hey Mebuki, remember me?" Yui's voice cut through the booming cannons and screams of dying people, bringing Mebuki and Haruki's attention away from the maniacal bloodshed.

Mebuki turned her attention to the evil man. He was dressed in the finest silk vest, cotton beeches, leather boots, and a long black cape. Her body stiffened as she watched Yui hold her husband by the neck.

"Yeah that's right; you refused me and stayed with this weak man!"

"Kizashi!" She cried out as she watched her husband bleed from several stab wounds on his chest and legs.

"This is what you get for saying no to me!" and before Mebuki knew what happened, Yui raised his sword and mercilessly smashed his sword into Kizashi's neck.

"No!" She screamed out in horror as she continued to watch Yui use his bulging muscles to behead her husband. The sword sliced through his vertebrae and skin like it was water. The sound of his ripping flesh and disconnecting tissue could be heard by Mebuki despite the overpowering background noises. "How dare you!" She cried even harder as her vision became blurry with tears.

Her eyes never left her husband's head as Yui held it by his short brown hair. Yui kicked Kizashi's body away from him and stared into his lifeless emerald eyes. "You always had it better than me," he said in anger, "you never knew how sickening your kindness was. You had this coming to you," he finished as he took his childhood friend's head, swung it around in circles, and tossed it into the ocean without a second thought.

"I am going to kill you!" Mebuki shouted in revenge as the grip on her sword tightened. Not caring what happened to her, she rose to her feet and charged, with every ounce of power and strength, towards the sickening Yui.

"If I knew you would be running to me with open arms, I would have killed the bastard sooner!" Yui cackled as he readied his sword for her impact.

"Mebuki! Stop!" But Haruki was too late; she was already running too blindly into the devil's clutches. The poor man watched with hardened emotions as the evil man penetrated Mebuki's stomach with his sword. With sadistic emotions only Yui possessed, he pushed the sword up towards Mebuki's chest and continued to force the sword to cut the already dead woman in half.

Yui's ear piercing laugh was all Haruki could hear after that. He looked around to see his people dropping rapidly. Blood was continuing to stain his precious sand and even the ocean was starting to change colors from the vibrant blue to sickening red. The sky was covered with black and red clouds, hiding the sun from the horrid blood shed that has been happened to his island. His unresponsive eyes caught sight of Katsuyu sitting on the island, the only familiar face he could recognize.

Weaving around the dead bodies, he managed to slide through the sand to join Katsuyu's side, "Katsuyu what are you doing here?" he observed her weakened state and became even more furious with the chain of events.

"Mebuki asked me to protect Sakura at all costs."

Haruki's eyes shot immediately to the surprisingly quiet one year old, "Sakura," he called her name to see her stare away from the battlefield and look at him. "You poor girl," he picked her up and held her close to his blood covered body. "We need to get her out of here," he explained to Katsuyu.

"I have been trying to think of a way to get her out of here, but I don't see a way out," her eyes turned to the back of her head as she stared at a man who had been standing on the sidelines ever since the battle started.

"Who is that?"

"I don't know. He has been standing there watching everything from the beginning. I have not seen him pick up a weapon to fight anyone, soldier or native."

Haruki placed Sakura beside Katsuyu and walked over to the strange man, "what are you doing?" he questioned.

The silent man looked at the approaching Haruki and raised a hand in truths, "my name is Hizashi Hyuga. I come from Konohagakure. I was ordered by Sarutobi, my Governor, to keep a close eye on Iron's plan with this island. I am not engaging in this fight because it is not mine to fight. I find it pointless."

Haruki stared at the strange white eyed man, with long black hair tied in a low-set ponytail. His amber eyes examined the passive man with caution before he felt the truth of the man's words through the energy that was omitting off his body. "If you are a simple third party, then you will come with me." Hizashi said nothing and followed the heavy breathing man to the corner of the beach.

"Who is he?" Katsuyu asked as they entered her personal space.

Hizashi raised an eyebrow as the overly large eel spoke. _How can this eel talk?_ To say he was intrigued was an understatement.

Haruki knelt down beside Katsuyu and picked up curious Sakura, "you will take this child, get in that row boat, and never come back to this island."

Hizashi eyed the one year old baby with curiosity. _Pink hair…not a common hair color. This island is full of unnatural characteristics. _"Why?"

"She is an innocent bystander in this fight. If you ignore this offer you will die by me," Katsuyu hissed out as she opened her mouth to reveal her gigantic teeth.

Hizashi looked between the man and talking eel with an emotionless expression. He looked back at the child and watched as her attention drifted towards the massacre that was beside her. _This child…_he watched as Sakura watched the battle without eliciting any types of noise. _It would go against all of Konohagakure's morals to leave this child here to suffer the same fate these people have. It goes against my own moral code._

"Fine, I'll take her."

Haruki released a sigh of relief. He reached around his neck and pulled off a locket, the very locket that had been within his family for centuries. "Please take good care of this child," he said as he gently placed the locket around her neck.

"Katsuyu will make sure that you escape without any trouble," Haruki looked to Katsuyu with a nod, "when you clear the horizon sea turtles will be waiting at the surface and will lead you back to your destination."

Hizashi nodded his head as Haruki placed the silent child into his arms. _Please Sea God, allow Sakura to escape this hell. _Haruki prayed as the child left his arms for the last time.

Without another command, Hizashi got into the only row boat and pushed it out into the inland sea. Haruki looked towards Katsuyu and ran his hand along a small patch under her chin, "once they clear the peninsula, you know what we must do."

"Of course," Katsuyu ducked back into the sea and pushed her long snake-like body to the top of the ocean where Hizashi's row boat was located.

Hizashi looked down to see Katsuyu lifting his boat out of the blood infested water. He looked behind him to see the enormous size of her body. _The size of her head shows her massive size, but it is even more massive up close. _The quiet Hyuga sat patiently, feeling the sea breeze brush against his face, as Katsuyu delivered him to the mouth of the sea.

"If you row 50 feet out, the two sea turtles will be there. Tell them your destination and they will take care of the rest," and that was the last time Hizashi ever saw the talking eel.

_What an interesting trip. _He thought to himself as he took each oar and started to paddle out 50 feet just like she instructed. Once he was 50 feet away from the chaotic battle, there were two dark green sea turtles waiting at the top of the ocean. "Konohagakure," was the only word that came out of his mouth. The turtles ducked back into the ocean and submerged back to the surface, but this time they were under his small row boat. Hizashi sat in the boat as the turtles moved at top speeds to his destination.

"Turtle," Sakura said with a smile.

It was the first word Hizashi had heard from the child ever since he watched Mebuki hide the child behind a rock. _What makes you so special? _He watched her closely as she pulled up on the rim of the boat and reached out trying to pet the turtle. Hizashi quickly scooped her away from the edge and set her on his lap, "I don't think so."

Sakura looked up at him and pouted, not liking that he wouldn't let her touch the turtles. But little did Hizashi know that, that wouldn't stop Sakura. Every time he would put her down she would find new and inventive ways to venture off to join the turtles. Hizashi found himself mentally exhausted by the escape artist the man from the island stuck him with. Sometimes Sakura would get the best of him and almost managed to get both of her two feet onto the back of one turtle. When that happened, he grabbed her by the arm and chucked her back into the boat. _We can't get to Konoha fast enough. _He thought with an uncharacteristic frustrated sigh.

* * *

It took the turtles 8 sun cycles before Hizashi began recognizing the coastline. The turtles delivered his boat to the edge of the marina, where he then took some of the excess rope, he found in the boat, and anchored the row boat to the dock. Sure enough, as soon as he took his eyes off of Sakura she was already sitting on top of the sea turtles shells.

"Turtle," her voice caused Hizashi to turn around; if it wasn't for his self-control he would have gasped at the fearlessness the infant showed. There she was, standing on top of the turtle's shells and what was even more amazing was that the turtles didn't move when she started to jump back and forth between each turtle's shells.

Hizashi leaned over and plucked Sakura off of the sea turtles. "Thank you," he found himself thanking the animals that cut his, what seemed like an impossible journey, into a reasonable one.

"Bye!" Sakura waved in Hizashi's arms as the sea turtles disappeared into the sea.

Without anything else distracting him, Hizashi made his way to the Governor's tower. He walked through the main desk and big oak doors to see a worried Sarutobi waiting at his desk.

"Hizashi, you're alive," Sarutobi said with shock as he stood up from his desk and examined one of his most loyal soldiers.

The only way Sarutobi knew that Hizashi was confused was by the sudden eyebrow raise he gave the Governor, "what have you heard?"

Before Sarutobi answered the question, he noticed the infant Sakura sitting patiently in his arms. "Who is this?"

Hizashi looked down at the infant and placed her on his desk, "long story, basically one of the natives told me to take her with me."

"Oh?" Sarutobi watched as the one year old marched across his desk in a cute adorable manner. "Ha, ha, she is quite a character."

"One of the most challenging infants I have dealt with. Neji isn't like her."

Sarutobi didn't get a chance to ask how Sakura was challenging because Sakura ran to the edge of his desk and jumped off of it. Sarutobi watched the one year old sprint off of his desk and land safety onto the cushioned chair that he had pulled out earlier. He looked to Hizashi to see him staring at Sakura, "I can see what you mean," Sarutobi said with a light chuckle.

"You were surprised I was alive. Why?"

Sarutobi walked over to Sakura and picked her up from the chair and held her in his arms. "Iron told me that their crew never returned. With a ship that their Captain received the crew should have been back by now. The Governor deemed the Captain and the entire crew died."

Hizashi nodded his head, "the natives put up a fight that was unexpected. They knew tactics that even some Iron soldiers didn't know."

"So they were civilized? How interesting. Could you find the island again?"

Hizashi took a moment to think about the route Yui and the sea turtles had taken him, but for some reason he couldn't remember the route. _Strange. _He shook his head, "No, but I don't advise going to that island even if I could."

"Fair enough," he looked down at Sakura who grew comfortable in his arms and started to fall asleep. "What about her?"

"Find a home. I'm not taking her; she will drive my own one year old son nuts."

"Of course. What is her name?" Sarutobi chuckled at the thought of this vivacious infant harassing Hizashi's quiet son.

"Her name is Sakura."

Sarutobi nodded his head, "you are dismissed. Go enjoy a few days off."

"Hai," Hizashi took one last look at the child before he exited the room.

_Sakura huh? _Sarutobi sat down in his large throne-like chair and coddled the yawning Sakura in his arms. He found himself enjoying her presence, even if she was rather daring at her young age. He turned around in his chair to stare out his giant bay window that overlooked his city. _Well Sakura, it looks like I'll take care of you. _He thought with a bright smile. He couldn't have thought of anyone else that could handle her fearlessness. _I just hope as you grow older you won't be as wild. _However, something deep inside Sarutobi told him that Sakura's desire to roam free was something she might never grow out of. _Only time will tell, huh Sakura? _

Little did Sarutobi know, he had agreed to watch over one of the most challenging children ever to walk Konoha's streets.


	2. How it all Begins

**Author's Note: **Thank you to everyone that took the time to read and review to the first chapter!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Sorry for the delay in posting.

* * *

"Governor, what should we do?"

Sarutobi stood tall in front of his favorite bay window. His wise eyes watched the many civilians leisurely walk through the thriving center of town. A deep sigh escaped his mouth as his black beady eyes scanned his peaceful village one last time.

"I sent Minato and Kushina Uzumaki to handle the situation in the Land of Lightning," he answered as he spun on the edge of his heel and faced the concerned knight before him.

"Governor, these are pirates we are talking about, are you sure those two can handle it?" The knight watched as his leader's eyes stared at him with calmness only a true leader could possess.

"The Uzumaki's are one of the very few members of our army that possess enough political knowledge and strength to take on this situation. The Land of Lightning does not ask for our aid very often and to send in a typical knight could destroy any relationship our country holds with their governor. If there is anyone you should be worried about Knight it should be those pirates."

"I understand sir," the knight withdrew his stare and looked down at the floor as he bowed deeply towards his leader. "Those pirates are one of the most merciless groups that sail the seas. The only other group that poses a threat to them is the Akatsuki, which is where my concern lies."

"You have no need to worry Knight. Trust in…" Before Sarutobi could finish his sentence an echoing knock came from the giant mahogany doors that stood proudly at the other side of the enormous office. Sarutobi stared at the doors before he shouted, "come in."

The doors slowly opened to reveal a small school boy dressed in black breeches, black leather boots, and a bright red vest over a white long sleeved shirt. The shaking boy bowed towards his superiors before he began speaking, "I apologize your excellency," his never looked up from the ground as he spoke, "but Professor Iruka instructed me to contact you."

"You're dismissed," Sarutobi nodded his head towards the knight. "We will finish our conversation in a moment. Go enjoy the rest of your day. I will send for you when I'm ready," he finished. He waited until the knight exited the room before he turned his attention to the silent boy in front of him, "did Iruka give you a reason for knocking on my door during an important meeting?"

The nervous boy started to shake even more upon the request, "I-I'm sorry. H-He told me that I had to contact you. P-Professor Iruka said it had to do with your daughter," he finished his sentence while trying his hardest to keep his composure.

_Sakura? _At the mention of his adoptive daughter Sarutobi stepped away from his desk and placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. "Thank you for delivering the message. Iruka was right in telling you to call on me. Please," he gave the lad a small push towards the doors, "I will walk with you to the school."

When Sarutobi arrived at the front of the school building he was shocked to see Hizashi waiting at the iron gates. Sarutobi thanked the young lad for everything and allowed the boy to run off into the school yard. _Hizashi has a look in his eye. _Sarutobi noted the annoyance that flashed across the man's infamous white eyes.

"What brings you here Hizashi?" Sarutobi asked as they both walked in unison through the doors of the enormous school.

"Iruka told me it was about Neji." He looked to Sarutobi for a brief moment before he returned his attention on the hallway they had started to walk towards. "It seems like you got the same message." He kept a calm exterior as Sarutobi continued to follow him to the front of a small classroom door.

_I hope Iruka is dealing with each of our problems independently of one another. _Sarutobi briefly scanned the emotionless Hyuuga's face and noticed the slight stress wrinkles on the side of his mouth. _If our children are partners in whatever issue Iruka sees, Hizashi will be highly unpleased,_

Their conversation reached a standstill as the two powerful men entered the through the small classroom's wooden door. As soon as the two men stepped into the classroom they were greeted by four rows of miniature desks, each desk barren and empty. At the front of the class was a five foot long deep maroon stained wooden desk, where a man sat patiently waiting for the two fathers to arrive.

"Iruka," Hizashi stated as soon as his body was inside the empty classroom.

The man turned towards Hizashi and Sarutobi and stood up from his desk in one quick fashion. His black hair was tied back into a ponytail while his black eyes smiled at the men. "Sarutobi and Hizashi, I'm sorry about all of this but it was important."

"What exactly has happened Iruka?" Sarutobi asked, forming several theories in the back of his mind.

"You see," he motioned for them to follow him towards the sliding bamboo covered door that rested against the side of the classroom.

Iruka pulled the lightweight door back to reveal a small fenced in area. The area was placed between a small part of the forest and an opened field. The open field had a few wooden toy spinning tops scattered around, a few cloth dolls, and a leather ball. On the other side was a forest with several trees that circled around the fenced in area. The adults stepped out of the classroom and onto the open field. Iruka turned his attention to the forest area and took a few steps towards two trees that stood at the center.

Before either man could speak, they heard rustling of the leaves and a child's giggle. "Come on! Don't be scared!"

Hizashi recognized that voice and shot his governor a blank expression. Sarutobi could feel the irritation rolling off of one his most respected knights. With a small smile Sarutobi shook his head and looked to Iruka to continue his statement from inside the classroom.

"It seems as though Sakura has found a new friend," Iruka took a few steps back from Hizashi before he continued, "it seems as though Neji unknowingly accepted the offer."

"Just great," Hizashi grunted out.

"I'm not scared," Neji's calm voice cut through their conversation.

"Then jump!" Sakura cheered him on.

"If we jump we will get hurt," Neji said trying to be the voice of reason. _How did I end up in these trees with this weird girl?_

"Suite yourself!" Sakura shouted as him.

Sarutobi, Hizashi, and Iruka watched the area in front of the tree with anticipation as the sound of rustling leaves reached their ears. Without another warning they all watched, in a mix of horror and anticipation, as a young Sakura leaped into the air and started to descend down to the ground below.

"Sakura!" Iruka yelled as he tried to position himself below the falling girl, hoping to catch her in time before she crashed onto the hard dirt surface below.

"Yahoo!" She screamed in excitement as she found herself getting closer and closer to the ground. Her eager emerald eyes looked between Iruka and the ground. _Maybe I can grab onto something else! _Her short cropped pink hair fluttered in the wind as she turned her head back and forth looking for something she could grab onto. Her eyes went wide with even more excitement as Sakura caught sight of a protruding tree branch located on another tree that was several feet below her descending body.

Again, Sakura sent Iruka into another whirlwind of paranoia as he watched the wild pink haired child make her body cut through the air at an even faster rate. Iruka looked to his governor only to see the older man standing in his spot with an unworried expression. _I don't know how Sarutobi can be this calm. _He averted his gaze from Sarutobi and watched the falling Sakura flip her body, causing her to be flying head-first into the ground. Iruka could feel the color leave his face as the young child came closer and closer to the ground.

_Now! _Sakura told herself as she reached out with her small arms and violently grabbed ahold of the tree branch that was at eye-level. The sudden change in projection caused Sakura's body to do several loops around the tree branch. It wasn't until Sakura felt her body stop rotating did she release her grasp from the tree branch and proceeded to jump from several different tree branches until she safely arrived on the ground in front of Iruka.

"Hi Mr. Iruka!" Sakura shouted with a bright smile. She then looked up to the tree branch that she had originally jumped from and starting waving her hands in the air, "come on Neji! It's really fun!"

Everyone watched as a young boy with wide white eyes and shoulder length brown hair emerged from the camouflage of the leaves. He walked slowly towards the middle of the tree branch and stared at the thirty foot drop that stood between him and the ground. _If a girl can get down then I can too. _Neji looked towards his dad's static eyes before he leisurely walked to the very edge of the tree branch.

Neji looked down at the tree branches that stood below him. _Here it goes. _He swiftly moved his body to the side of the tree branch and flew through the air downward towards several thick tree branches that came in his path. The young eight year old effortlessly placed his legs on various tree branches, using the branches as an aid to allow him to jump down to the tree and land, with grace only a Hyuuga possessed, on the ground next to Sakura.

Sakura turned to her side and slapped Neji on the back. "See! I told you it was fun!"

Neji said nothing as he absorbed the surprisingly strong slap. He looked from the crazy girl to the tree that he jumped from. _It was...fun. _Neji sidestepped away from Sakura and stood at his father's side. _I won't admit that to her._

Hizashi stared at his son and then at the young girl, _I don't know what influence those natives still have on this girl, but she is not influencing my son. _Hizashi looked to the wide-eyed Iruka and cleared his throat, "Iruka, we are leaving." Without another glance in the teacher's direction, Hizashi took Neji and proceeded to walk towards the opened bamboo sliding door.

"Make sure you tell your daughter to not go near my son," Hizashi whispered to Sarutobi as he passed the man and exited into the school building.

Neji looked back every once in a while to see the young girl standing in the same spot with a bright smile on her face. "Father, who is that?" Neji asked as his father shut the classroom door behind them.

Hizashi glanced down at his son for a moment and continued to walk through the long hallway towards the exit of the school. "That girl is the Governor's daughter."

_The Governor's daughter? _Neji thought back to her strange behavior that caused the majority of their classmates to exclude her in every game they played. _She doesn't act like one. _Neji couldn't help but wonder why she acted differently than the rest of the girls in his class. _When we climbed the trees most of the other girls didn't want to get their hands dirty...but not her..._

"What's her name?"

Hizashi stopped walking and stared at his young son. He squatted down to Neji's level and placed his calloused hands on top of Neji's small shoulders, "her name is Sakura. Neji, listen to me, you will NOT go near that girl, you understand?"

Being the genius that Neji was he nodded his head in agreement, "yes Father," but deep down Neji wanted to learn more about Sakura. If he was going to go behind his father's back he was going to have to do it secretly. _At least school will be more interesting now, _Neji thought with a microscopic smirk. Never before had he looked forward to going to school, until now.

Meanwhile, Iruka and Sarutobi watched as Hizashi and Neji left the playground. Iruka turned towards the still smiling Sakura and shook his head at the young girl. "Sakura, you can't be doing things like that," Iruka told her with a straight face.

Sakura's smile slowly vanished from her face. She looked to her quiet father and then back at Iruka, "why not Mr. Iruka?"

"You could have gotten hurt and besides, other children will want to do the same thing. Do you want to hurt them too?"

Sakura's once happy eyes turned gloomy, "no sir," she said as her eyes looked down at her sandaled covered feet. _I was just having fun. Neji climbed the trees and he was fine..._

"Good," Iruka answered with a smile.

"Sakura, why don't you go play with the dolls on the ground, Mr. Iruka and I need to have an adult conversation," Sarutobi intervened as he placed a reassuring hand on his gloomy daughter.

"Yes Dad," she answered as she slipped away and sat in the dirt.

Iruka sighed as the silent girl sat patiently in the dirt, waiting for her father to tell her it was time to go home. He looked to Sarutobi and shook his head in sadness, "I don't know what to do sir."

Sarutobi looked away from his daughter and locked eyes with Iruka. "I know she is very...energetic..."

Iruka shook his head, "it's not that your highness."

"Then what is it?" His sudden demeanor changed from calm and understanding to protective and serious.

"It's her fearlessness that causes all the children to run away from her," Iruka motioned for Sarutobi to follow him as they both took a seat on the giant square cement block that was half buried in the ground underneath the bamboo door. "During class, she sits quietly in the back of the classroom, but when we are outside it's like a switch turns on in her head. She tries to play with all the children, but when she does play all the boys don't want her on their team because she beats them."

Sarutobi chuckled at the mental picture of Sakura throwing a leather balls at the young boys, "she is a competitive one."

"But when she suggests games to play, all the children start to become apprehensive and ignore her. Now, when we go outside to play, all the children don't even look in Sakura's direction. They play by themselves and exclude her from everything. I have tried to influence their playing to include Sakura, but they will play tricks on her. I have seen them run away into the forest after they have thrown the ball in the opposite direction causing Sakura to chase after it."

Sarutobi felt his heart sink at this news. "I can't say that I'm not surprised."

Iruka leaned back against the door, "do you know anything about where she came from?"

"No. I didn't expect the influence of her homeland to still be engraved into her; it has been seven years since she was given to me by Hizashi."

"What exactly happened between Sakura and Hizashi? I noticed that he does not truly enjoy Sakura's presence around Neji," Iruka asked with curiosity.

At the sudden mention of Neji, Sarutobi turned to Iruka abruptly, "exactly what did Sakura do to get Neji involved with her stunts?"

Iruka stiffened at the change of events. He removed his back from leaning on the side of the school and turned to Sarutobi's direction. His black eyes stared into his leader's beady eyes thinking carefully of how he was going to answer the question. "Sakura...she noticed that Neji wasn't playing with the others. I don't know how she managed to do it, but she managed to rile up Neji. Next thing I knew the normally calm and collected Neji was glaring at her," he felt a small chuckle escape his lips. _It was the first time I had ever seen Neji interact with any of his classmates. _"I saw the two of them thirty feet up hiding in a tree after that and that's when I called you and Hizashi."

"I see."

"Should I stop the interaction? I couldn't help but notice how angry Hizashi became when he found the two of them playing with each other."

Sarutobi stood up from his sitting position and rose to his feet, "I wouldn't interfere, Iruka. Hizashi will tell Neji what to do. It is up to Neji to listen to his father's request." He turned to Iruka and nodded his head, "thank you for informing me of the situation. I am going to take Sakura home now." He opened his mouth and called out to Sakura, causing the quiet child to jump to her feet and eagerly run to her father's side.

"Say good bye to Iruka, Sakura."

Sakura looked to her teacher and bowed, "see you tomorrow Mr. Iruka."

"Same goes for you Sakura," Iruka finished with a smile, not oblivious to the slight depressed demeanor that hovered around Sakura.

No words were exchanged between Sarutobi and Iruka as the governor gingerly pushed his daughter's back and guided her through the school towards the main exit.

* * *

The two of them walked down the soon to be desolate streets of Konoha. Sakura watched as merchants started to pack away their merchandize and proceeded to drag their tired selves to their homes. Sarutobi kept his eyes on the dirt path as he led the two of them towards his home that resided hidden in the plentiful forest that surrounded Konoha. _I expected this to happen. _Sarutobi told himself as he glanced at the top of Sakura's pink head. _The island she came from is a mystery. I didn't expect her odd attributes to still be an influence. She was only a year old when Hizashi brought her to me._

"Oh, Sarutobi," a voice called out to the governor, causing him to escape from his inner thoughts.

The governor stopped walking and turned to his head to the side, "Kakashi, what a surprise."

Kakashi emerged from the side of the Ramen Shack and bowed in respect towards his leader, "you're normally home at this time."

Sarutobi nodded his head as he tilted his head towards the child at his side, "I have this one to thank for that."

Sakura looked at the man next to her father and bowed in respect towards her elder, "Hello Mr. Kakashi."

The spiky silver haired knight smiled at the child and raised his hand in defense, "No need to bow to me Sakura," he placed his hands down and returned his attention to Sarutobi, "what happened this time?" Kakashi was not a stranger to Sakura's rather peculiar traits.

Sarutobi let out a sigh as he waved for the younger man to follow him deeper into the woods, "would you like to join us for dinner Kakashi?"

Kakashi was not slow when it came to Sarutobi's indications. _It must be serious this time. _He nodded his head, causing his silver hair to ruffle from the sudden position change, "of course," he answered as he stood on the other side of Sarutobi and disappeared into the forest.

* * *

It didn't take long for Sarutobi to begin cooking dinner. Kakashi and Sakura sat at the marble stoned bar, patiently waiting while Sarutobi began to fry two types of meats above the fire pit. Sakura turned towards the quiet Kakashi and started to tap on his waist.

The sudden human contact caused Kakashi to stiff ever-so-slightly. He turned his mysterious grey eye towards the child, "Sakura what are you doing?" he asked as her tapping grew stronger.

Sakura looked up from his black breeches and stared at his only eye. _Why is there a mask over most of his face? _Sakura stared at Kakashi's mask that stretched from the left side of his face and covered his nose and mouth, the only flesh that Sakura could see was his right eye a small patch of skin below, _it's weird. _She noticed that Kakashi was still staring at her, which caused her to shake her head. "Uh, you have something over here." She recovered from her thoughts and brought her attention back to the protruding object tied around his waist.

Kakashi raised a single silver eye brow at her antics but shrugged his shoulders. "Sit back," he ordered her as he moved his long fingers to the side of his hip.

"Hai!" she answered as she over-enthusiastically threw her body as far away from Kakashi as the solid oak bar stool allowed.

"It's a sword," he told her as he gently placed the covered sword across his lap. He watched with curiosity as the child pulled her stool closer to him, approaching the sword like a lion approaching its prey.

"What does it do?" Sakura asked as her wide emerald eyes scanned the black sheath with intricate engravings of dog-like beasts.

Sarutobi covered the food as it hung over the fire before he turned to observe the interaction between his former student and his adoptive daughter. _I wonder how Kakashi will handle this interaction. _Last time Sarutobi left Kakashi and Sakura alone, Kakashi requested a week long assignment.

"Well..." he took a moment to understand how he would explain a dangerous weapon to an eight year old girl. "It...It protects people from harm."

"That's cool! Can I hold it?!" Sakura could feel her insides throbbing, wishing to touch the amazing object before her.

Kakashi felt sweat drop from the back of his neck. _Maybe showing her the sword was a bad idea. _He turned to Sarutobi for some help but the older man shrugged his shoulders and stood on the other side of the marble stoned counter, watching Kakashi's next move.

"Uh...sure," Kakashi placed two hands under the sword and held it in the air. "It will be heavy," he warned her as he slowly lowered the sword into her outstretched petite hands. He looked towards his old mentor trying to read his reaction, but Sarutobi held an emotionless expression, causing Kakashi to feel a little apprehensive.

Sakura dropped down from her bar stool and stood on the hardwood walnut floors. She bent her knees as the sword was placed into her hands. _This is heavy! _She tried with all her might to make sure she didn't drop the sword. _If I do that Mr. Kakashi won't let me touch it again! _

The two adults watched with anticipation as Sakura stood as still as stone while her body tried to distribute the correct amount of force to keep the sword over her head. Sarutobi shook his head as he turned his back and began to plate their dinner. Kakashi, on the other hand, watched with calculating eyes as the young girl continued to hold the sword. _She's holding it longer than I expected. _Sakura's body was smaller than normal eight year olds and once the sword rested in her hands, the four foot long blade was longer than Sakura's entire body.

"I think I'll take that back now Sakura," Kakashi outstretched his hand motioning for her to give it back to him.

"How do you carry that?!" She asked as a deep sigh escaped her lips as she high-jumped onto the once empty barstool. "It's huge!"

"Years of practice," Kakashi said as Sarutobi placed a plate of goose in front of the silver head man. Kakashi watched as Sakura's dinner was placed in front of her, "and years of growing," he finished with an smile as he watched Sakura pick up her pure silver fork and stabbed the cooked baby eel on her plate.

"Is it normal for kids to eat eel?" Kakashi asked Sarutobi as he watched Sakura devour her food.

"We are still trying different foods, after today I figured she would appreciate this treat," Sarutobi said with a sad smile, "when she was first placed in my care all she would eat was eel."

Kakashi shuttered at the idea of eating a creature from the sea, "the natives on that island possess a very strange culture."

"Indeed."

The three of them sat in silence as they consumed the home cooked meal provided by Sarutobi. When dinner was over, Sarutobi instructed Sakura to wash all of the dishes. Sarutobi and Kakashi watched the pint-sized eight year old stand on her extremely high step-stool and begin submerging the dishware and her entire upper body into the suds-filled water.

"Exactly what happened?"

A sigh escaped Sarutobi's lips as he slightly slouched on the oak bar stool, "it seems as though Sakura's desire to engage in high dangerous activity has driven all of the other children to isolate her from outside games."

"Have you tried to contain the urge she has?" Kakashi suggested as he stared at the small back of Sakura with sad eyes.

"I have tried. However, I believe things might change."

"Oh?" Kakashi looked deep into Sarutobi's strategic black eyes as he looked at his daughter's back. "How?" _If none of the children want to play with her how will things change?_

"Iruka said that Sakura managed to accumulate one friend today."

_Who is crazy enough to do that? _Kakashi thought in horror as he pictured Sakura dragging her new friend to jump over a cliff, a slight shiver crawled up his spine at the thought.

"Neji Hyuuga."

Kakashi felt his body go stiff at the mention of one of Konoha's prestigious clans, "you're kidding."

Sarutobi shook his head as a small smirk crossed his face, "strangely enough, I'm not. Sakura managed to make Neji show emotion."

Curiosity began to rise within Kakashi. _The Hyuuga's are known for raising emotionally calm and unemotional children that rival the Uchiha clan. _As Kakashi thought about it more and more he felt a light chuckle escape his lips, "Sarutobi, I think your Sakura managed to catch some attention."

"If Neji goes against his father's wishes, then yes, Sakura would have acquired the attention of one of the most promising knights that will roam Konoha." Sarutobi watched as Sakura began to relocate all of the clean dinner plates back inside the cabinets from which they came. He looked away from his hard-working daughter and turned his attention back to Kakashi, "Kakashi…do you think you could watch Sakura tomorrow?"

The sudden question caused the man to raise a single silver eye brow to the top of his head, "doesn't she have school?" _Why would Sarutobi need me to watch her? _

"This is correct, but based on the events that happened this afternoon I think it's best for Sakura to give the school a break."

Kakashi could feel his nerves start to rise. _Take a deep breath Kakashi. Maybe it won't be that bad. _The more he was thinking about his job as a royal babysitter the more uneasy he felt. He had never been in charge of the fearless Sakura for an entire day before and it scared him to death of what she would do to him. "Are you sure about this?" _I would rather take a week long mission of tracking down blood thirsty pirates…it's something I know I'm good at._

Sarutobi caught the apprehension hidden behind Kakashi's seemingly calm question, "come on Kakashi, don't tell me that the most notorious copy-cat knight is scared of my daughter."

Kakashi shook his head and cleared his throat, "I'm not scared." He looked to Sakura as she was nearly finished putting away all of the pots. _I cannot deny a job given to me by my former mentor. _"I can watch her," he said finally with a short sigh.

"Perfect," Sarutobi stood up from his chair and walked over to the smiling Sakura, as she jumped off her stool and tucked it away in the corner of the kitchen, "Sakura, you will not be going to school tomorrow."

"How come?" Sakura asked as she gave Sarutobi a confused expression. "Is it because I climbed trees?" her sudden realization caused the young girl to drop her head and focus her attention to her toes wiggling in her sandals. "I won't do it again…" she mumbled out. _I want to go back to school!_

"Sakura," Sarutobi's strict voice cut through Sakura's progressively depressed mood. He placed two slim fingers under the child's chin and lifted her eyes to meet his own, "Kakashi has planned a day with you. It would be rude to cancel on him."

Kakashi heard the governor's sly words being spoken to the child and he couldn't help but mentally glare at the elder man. _More like forced to spend a day with her. _His grey eye watched as Sakura's face lit up as bright as the sun, her sudden mood change caused Kakashi to feel slightly horrible for his earlier thought. _She probably doesn't interact much with others because of her strange behavior._

"Really?!" Sakura's smile stretched from ear-to-ear. She backed up away from her father's touch and sprinted over to Kakashi. Her cardinal red dress that reached to her ankles danced around her legs as she came to a sliding halt in front of the knight, "Thank you, thank you!" She shouted in excitement as she wrapped her tiny arms around Kakashi's waist.

Kakashi looked down at the short pink locks that rested against his lower body, "you're welcome Sakura," he answered with a small smile.

"Now Sakura, give Kakashi some room, it is bed time."

Sakura immediately pulled away from Kakashi's side and bowed towards the still slightly smiling knight, "thank you!" She turned to her father and gave him a tight hug before she dashed up the spiral granite-stoned staircase and into her room.

"Let her have some fun Kakashi," Sarutobi said as he watched his excited daughter's back recede towards the other side of the house. "You and I both know that not many people wish to interact with her," he felt his mood slightly drop at the hardship his adoptive daughter had to face.

Kakashi nodded his head and placed a reassuring hand on Sarutobi's back, "don't worry," he answered with the classic knight smirk, "I will make sure Sakura has the time of her life."

"Good," Sarutobi gave Kakashi a reassuring head-nod, "in that case I will see you here at dawn."

"Yes Governor," Kakashi said as he walked towards the front doors and showed himself out. _Why so early?_ He thought to himself as shut the doors behind him and carried himself back to his home in the center of town. _That man is trying to kill me. _

Sarutobi watched silently as his former student slipped out the front doors. _Poor Kakashi, _he thought with a small smile, _then again, Sakura might be good for him. _A small chuckle escaped his mouth as he began to picture the hell Sakura could unleash on Kakashi. _What an interesting day tomorrow will bring._

* * *

"So where are we going Mr. Kakashi?" Sakura asked as she blindly followed the lethargic Kakashi away from her home.

"Breakfast," was all Kakashi could mumble. _I need something to wake me up, _he thought as they continued past the forest and entered Konoha's town square.

_He doesn't sound very happy, _Sakura noted as she followed his sluggish steps towards Ramen Ichiraku, one of Konoha's popular restaurants.

The two entered the desolate restaurant and seated themselves in the middle of the establishment. Kakashi flopped down onto the wooden bench while Sakura effortlessly slid her body across the other wooden bench that stood on the opposite side of Kakashi. A young woman watched from behind the front bar as the two strolled into the quiet restaurant. Her long slender body maneuvered around the bar and walked towards the only two customers.

When she reached their table, a bright smile crossed her fair colored face, "how can I help you two this morning?"

"Tea…lots of it," Kakashi groaned out as he continued to try to overcome the sleepiness that hovered around him.

"And for you?"

The young Sakura looked at the woman's white robes, folded sleeves, dark blue apron, and white bandana that pushed back her long brown hair away from her face. "Um…" she looked to Kakashi with questioning emerald eyes.

"Order anything you want," he answered her unspoken question.

"Really?!" Her entire face lit up as she jumped up and down in her seat, she looked to the young woman and smiled brightly at her, "can I have eel?!"

The young woman looked taken back by her odd request, "are you sure?"

"She's sure," Kakashi answered.

"Oh…okay," she finished with a smile as her slender legs carried her tall body back behind the bar and towards the kitchen.

While the woman prepared their food Sakura began to admire the small restaurant. _I have never been here before. _Her curious eyes looked up and down the small seated area where various wooden benches and tables, which looked identical to the one she was sitting in, scattered the back half of the building. She turned around to the opened doorway they walked through and followed the small pebbles that lead to the central bar that she noticed as soon as they walked in. _It's so cool in here! _The eager girl looked up at the straw ceiling and watched as small stained glass fixtures shined against the morning suns' rays. The colors of her country sparkled around the restaurant, keeping her occupied long enough for their food to arrive.

The young woman placed a pitcher of tea in front of Kakashi and placed the small plate of eel in front of the awaiting Sakura. "If you need anything, my name is Ayame, please let me know."

"Thank you Miss. Ayame!" Sakura thanked as she grabbed her utensils and began to stab the eel mercilessly.

Kakashi and Ayame watched Sakura attack the small sea animal that rested innocently on her plate. "Thank you," Kakashi told Ayame with a small smile that was outlined by his black mask.

Ayame felt herself blush at the handsome knight, "Of course," she tried with all her might to keep her composure in front of him.

Two pitchers of tea later, Kakashi found his body become awake for the day. _That's better, _he thought with a mental smile.

"Mr. Kakashi are you done yet?" Sakura asked impatiently.

The man looked at the young girl and sighed, "I guess so."

"Good!" Sakura slammed her small hands on the wooden table and propelled herself on top of the bench she had been sitting on, "let's go do something fun!" She didn't give Kakashi a chance to react, for she was already running towards the front of the restaurant.

Kakashi effortlessly slid from out of their bench and caught onto the back of Sakura's slim-fitting forest-green dress, "you will wait for your elders to be ready Sakura," he told her with an emotionless expression.

"Sorry, you just took forever," she told him with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Give this to Ayame," Kakashi ordered her as he handed her five golden coins.

"Hai!" Sakura, very carefully, took the golden coins and brought them over to Ayame.

"Oh thank you," she emerged from behind the bar and bent down to accept the money that was resting in Sakura's hands. Her brown eyes watched the child's face light up as she took the money, "you have a very pretty dress," she added.

Sakura blushed at the compliment. She looked down at her simple forest-green dress with golden trim around the edges of the collar and long-sleeves, "t-thank you."

"Sakura, let's go," Kakashi called out as half of his body stepped outside of the opened doorway.

"Bye!" Sakura recovered from her sheepishness, bowed to Ayame, turned on the heels of her wooden sandals, and sprinted out the door.

"Now where are we going?" Sakura asked as she followed Kakashi's side while they walked through the center of town.

_What do kids like her do? _Kakashi asked himself as he watched the girl from the corner of his right eye. "What do you want to do?" Kakashi continued to walk through the crowd waiting to hear her voice answer his question. _Does she not even know what kids are supposed to do? _Kakashi stopped walking and swiftly turned around, "Sakura?"

As soon as he turned around he was not greeted with a puzzled expression from the pink haired child, instead there was only air that floated beside him. _Shit, where did she go? _His grey eye looked around the crowded center searching for pink hair. _If I lose her Sarutobi will kill me. _An annoying sigh escaped his lips as he put his tracking skills to use. His six foot tall muscular figure towered over the smaller civilians as he began to stride through the growing crowd. His single grey eye scanned every shop searching for Sakura. _Where could she have gone? _Not enjoying the sudden mission he had assigned himself, he increased his pace and started to effortlessly sprint by the shopping district in the town. Expert eyes scanned inside shops as his body danced expertly around incoming citizens that crossed his path.

"What's that?"

He heard her voice whisper in the air as he passed a weapon's shop. _Crap, I need to go the other way. _His quick reflexes allowed him to slam all his weight onto his right leg, causing a cloud of dust to spray from underneath his sandal. He spun his body on the balls of his foot and elongated his stride. Within seconds he was standing in front of the weapons merchant with bone chilling eyes.

"Oh, you interested little girl?" The man asked with a bright smile. He walked over to the wall Sakura was staring at and pulled the object from the hook, "why don't you try it out. Tell me if you like it," he said as his three gold teeth revealed themselves from inside his mouth.

"Really?!" Sakura nodded her head eagerly and stood up straight, waiting for the object to be placed in her hands.

The tanned man bent down and held the weapon made from elm in his hands, "okay little girl, stand up straight," he watched as Sakura retracted her shoulder blades and nodded her head to tell him to continue, "place your left hand right here," he pointed to a spot a few centimeters below the golden thread.

Sakura nodded her head as she placed her small hands on top of the velvety soft thread, "now what?"

The merchant chuckled as he reached behind him and pulled out a small arrow, "place your other hand here," the man placed the feathered end of the arrow in her right hand and attached the arrow to the string. He then took her right elbow and pulled it back as far as possible, "ready…and…."

"What do you think you're doing?" Kakashi's emotionless voice interrupted the merchant.

"Mr. Kakashi!" Sakura shouted in excitement. "Look at me!"

"Drop the bow ri…" Kakashi didn't have the chance to finish his sentence for Sakura accidently released the arrow.

"Watch out!" the merchant shouted to the crowd as the sea of people parted away from the arrow headed towards the wooden pole that held Konoha's flag proudly for the entire country to see.

With speed only a knight could possess, Kakashi bent his knees, drove his butt towards the ground, and folded his upper body towards his toes where his masked lips nearly kissed the dirt. As soon as his keen hearing heard the whistling arrow soar over his head, and a thud indicating that the arrow had made contact with the wooden pillar, he returned to a standing position glaring at the merchant.

"Do you realize you gave a weapon to a child?" His tone turned even darker as he roughly grabbed Sakura's shoulder and pulled her away from the man.

"She seemed interested!" The merchant threw his hands up in defense.

Kakashi said nothing as he continued to walk closer to the scared merchant. His bone chilling grey eye watched the merchant's every move as he towered over the scrawny tan man, using his intimidating size to scare the merchant even more.

"Come on, we can all forgive each other can't we?" the merchant looked behind his boney shoulder as the back wall of his small shop was coming closer to him.

Kakashi took the stuttered step from the man as the opportunity to force the man's body against the wall. He bent his silver spikey head towards the shaking man's ear, "if you ever give a child a weapon again," Kakashi's voice whispered forebodingly.

"C-Come on," the man started to explain himself about the entire situation.

Suddenly, the already petrified merchant felt a cool metal blade press underneath his Adam's apple. The merchant's brown eyes began to widen more as Kakashi continued to press the blade deeper into his throat.

"L-Listen man, i-it's just b-business."

"I don't care," Kakashi moved his small blade in a painfully slow manner, lightly dragging it across the merchant's neck. "Next time you sell something you shouldn't, I won't spare you," Kakashi pulled away from the man and swiftly hid his blade back onto his belt loop on the side of his hip.

_This guy is crazy, who the hell is he anyways? _The merchant thought to himself as he stood as still-as-stone while he watched the tall man walk away. His brown eyes scanned Kakashi's retreating back but his eyes stopped and stared at the sword hoisted on the same side as the small blade that was just lightly scrapping against his neck. _That sword, _his eyes narrowed at the black sheath that swayed back and forth mimicking Kakashi's walking style. His expertise in weapons allowed him to see the engravings of demon-like dogs and a deep red swirling circle that was carved in the center of the sheath. _He's one of the Governor's knights! _His entire body went numb as he thought back to how menacing Kakashi was, _oh no! _Suddenly, the merchant felt all of his color wash away from his face and before he could register what to do next his mind went blank and his body fell to the floor with a thud.

"Uh…Mr. Kakashi…" Sakura voiced her concern as she watched the man fall on the dirt floor.

"Come on Sakura," Kakashi ordered as a small smirk crossed his face, very pleased of his work.

Sakura nodded her head and joined Kakashi by his side. _What happened? _She thought to herself as she looked up at Kakashi as they walked towards the wooden pillar where her arrow rested. Her small feet came to a silent halt as she stared at the arrow, _but it was so much fun!_

Being more aware of her presence, Kakashi stopped as soon as he heard her faint footsteps cease. "Sakura, let's keep moving," he told her as he spun around to see why she stopped walking.

"But my arrow…" She told him as her pleading emerald eyes stared into Kakashi's grey eye.

Her innocent eyes stared unnervingly at the powerful knight, unaware of the effect she had on the man. Kakashi sighed and turned his attention to the arrow stuck in the pillar, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

The knight looked at the arrow to see that it was stuck twenty feet above his head. _The arrow is a lot higher than I expected. _The man bent his knees and sank his rear end towards the ground. He stared down at his black breeches as he threw his arms behind his body, getting ready to propel himself into the air. In one fluid transition Kakashi shifted his body weight from the back of his heels to the balls of his feet, where he then used all of his force and pushed off the ground. His arms followed his sudden change in position by stretching towards the sky. It took him seconds to fly through the air, grab the hanging arrow, and allow gravity to return him back to Sakura's side. "Here," he said as he handed her the single feathered arrow.

"Thanks Mr. Kakashi!" She shot him a huge tooth-filled smile as she grabbed the arrow from his hands.

Kakashi nodded his head and gently pushed her back, hoping she would follow him out of the craziness of the town center. Sakura complied and wordlessly followed the older man towards a quieter part of town.

The two of them separated themselves from the town and Kakashi managed to find a small area in the forest for Sakura to play in while he could sit under a tree and have some special time to himself.

He watched as Sakura ran back and forth between two trees with her arrow before he pulled out his most precious item. A huge mental smile spread across his mind as the bright orange cover came into his view. _Oh how I missed you, _he thought happily.

With inner excitement, Kakashi's fingerless black gloved hand rested on the cover for a few moments. Although he was overjoyed with the idea of reading his favorite "Make-Out Paradise" novel, he could not get rid of the incident of Sakura shooting the arrow out of his head. His sudden mood change caused him to return the book to its hiding spot inside his leaf green vest.

_Even though that merchant helped Sakura with positioning…she managed to release the arrow with enough force to impale the pillar. _His curious eyes looked up from his lap and watched Sakura climb a pine tree. _I wonder… _His train of thought ran incomplete as Sakura leaped off of one of the pine tree branches and landed on her feet.

"Sakura."

At the sound of her name Sakura turned away from the giant pine tree and walked over to Kakashi, "Hai Mr. Kakashi?" She stared unblinkingly at him, waiting to hear his answer.

"Did you enjoy shooting that arrow?" He looked at the object of interest and then back at her.

Sakura nodded her head violently enough to cause her pink hair strands to smack her in the face, "yes sir!"

"What if I told you that you could shoot it again?"

"I can?!"

"Only," he held up his gloved covered hand in attempts to calm her overexcitement, "if you listen to exactly everything I tell you."

"Yes, yes, yes!" She stopped jumping up and down and looked at her arrow, "but we don't have that thing he had that got me to shoot this," she held her arrow up towards Kakashi's face.

Kakashi knelt down and gave Sakura a small smile, "I believe you dropped this when I was dealing with that merchant," Kakashi reached behind his back and pulled out the exact same bow Sakura was using.

"No way…" for the first time ever Sakura was speechless, her mouth was opening and closing while her eyes remained glued to the wooden weapon.

"But remember," he told her again as he placed it into her hands, "you have to do what I say."

"Hai!" Sakura grabbed the short bow from his hands and waited patiently for Kakashi to instruct her on what to do.

"You see Sakura; this weapon is called a bow. It isn't something you can play with like the toys at your school," he paused for a moment to make sure that he still held Sakura's attention and continued on when he saw her shake her head, "you see this golden thread wrapped around the center of the bow?"

"Yeah," Sakura looked down at his long fingers as they pointed to the soft thread she had touched once before.

"This is a marker to tell you where to rest the arrow on the bow." Kakashi lowered his body onto his knees and positioned himself to the left side of Sakura, "in-between this thread there is a small notch, and you want to rest the arrow on that notch." He gently grabbed her small hands and pointed the bow towards the ground. "Make sure when you are loading the arrow into the bow that it is always pointing to the ground. We can't have you taking people's heads out like last time."

"Okay," Sakura answered with a small giggle.

"The arrow has its own different parts. All I want you to focus on right now is this nock that is behind this green feather," he gently moved his free hand and pointed to the small notch that rested behind the feather. "This notch attaches to the bow's string." He took her silence as a cue to continue with his instructions, "first we rest the shaft of the arrow on the small notch in the golden thread and after that we attach the nock onto this string right here," Kakashi placed his hands over Sakura's while he took control. He moved her small left hand to stay stationed right below the notch and used her right hand to guide the arrow through the notch and attach it to the string.

As soon as the arrow was safely attached to the string, Kakashi used his own right hand to organize Sakura's fingers. However, as soon as Kakashi went to position her tiny fingers he found that she had subconsciously placed her index and middle finger in-between the nock. _Hmm, this might be even more interesting than I originally thought. _Kakashi felt a small smirk spread across his lips as he eagerly waited to see what would happen next. "Are you ready Sakura?"

Sakura had been exceptionally quiet during his instruction, normally children her age wouldn't be able to sit still during his slow teaching but Sakura did not moving until he told her. Her emerald eyes had been watching Kakashi move her hands in the correct location. "Ready for what?"

"I'm going to let you lift this bow and arrow, but **do not** let go of the arrow," Kakashi emphasized the order. _I am not looking for an eight year old to take my head off for a second time._

"Hai!" Sakura stood still as Kakashi made her arms lift up the weightless object.

"I'm going to let go, but I want you to keep the bow right in this position, while you do that I'm going to tell you a few tips to shooting the arrow, okay?"

Sakura said nothing and nodded her head. _Get on with it Mr. Kakashi!_

"If you don't understand anything, tell me."

"Okay!" She shouted impatiently.

_I guess I was wrong about her being patient, _Kakashi thought to himself as he shook his head, trying to regain his hearing.

"Oh, sorry," Sakura noticed her high-pitched scream and felt a small blush spill across her light pink cheeks.

"Make sure your left shoulder is pointing to this tree," Kakashi searched their small clearing for a tree with the widest and thickest trunk, but it had to be relatively close to Sakura's current position. He stopped in front of a giant oak tree that was twenty feet away and reached around his waist to detach his belt holster. _If I give her a target, I can see just how much natural skill she has with aiming and hitting the mark. _Kakashi detached both his short blade and his long katana and leaned them against the tree's trunk. His plain leather belt strap hung limply in his hand while Kakashi adjusted the waist length of the strap. It didn't take long for Kakashi to just barely manage to squeeze the belt around the thick tree's trunk. He looked up at the oak tree's leaves and grabbed the biggest one he could find, _this will give her a reference point to aim at. _Kakashi effortlessly tucked the leaf behind the center of his belt holster, took a step back, and turned around to face Sakura, "you see this mark," he pointed to the giant leaf, "I want you to try to hit anywhere on the leaf."

Sakura looked at the belt that hugged the oak tree. _He wants me to try to hit that? _Her eyes stared at the big target, scanning it for the spot she would try to hit. Subconsciously her eyes fell on the center of Kakashi's belt strap, the outline of her country stood out against the green background of the left. _I should try to hit it. _The longer Sakura stared at the small target she gave herself the more determined she became.

Kakashi walked away from the tree and over towards Sakura's side, "now, in order to fire the arrow you will have to pull the arrow, and the string, as far as you can until it reaches the corner of your mouth," he looked down on the unmoving Sakura and gently tapped her arm, "go ahead."

Sakura took a deep breath in and steadily pulled back the string and arrow. _Oh, this is easier than I thought! _A smile spread across her face as she easily managed to get the nock of the arrow to reach the corner of her mouth. Her eyes shifted towards Kakashi, afraid of taking her eyes off her target. "Now what?"

"First off, hold onto the arrow," he told her as he walked around to Sakura's front and began to examine her form. First, he stared at her feet, "you want your feet a little wider," he told her.

"Okay," Sakura cautiously increased the space between her two feet while she continued to hold the bow and arrow as steady as possible.

He walked around to her left side and examined the position of her elbow, _it's extended straight out in front of her, _he thought to himself as he stepped to her right side. His calculating grey eye looked at her right elbow as it protruded out towards him. He gently glided his gloved hand from her elbow to her fingers, making sure that her position was stable. _Not bad, she is holding the arrow and string pretty strongly. _As he passed her right side he took another look at her posture and smiled, _she even has her shoulders back too. _The more he started to teach Sakura the more Kakashi started to wonder. _This sudden natural skill makes me wonder if the natives of that island taught Sakura how to shoot an arrow, _the sudden thought of a baby getting hold of a weapon made him feel appalled.

Kakashi shook his head at his distraction and continued on with his teaching. He placed his body in front of Sakura's arrow, watching the arrow intently from the corner of his eye, "point your left index finger out," he watched as she completed his request. "Good," he took a giant step backwards and nodded his head, "whenever you're ready I want you to release the arrow."

"Hai!" Sakura felt her blood rush through her veins as she finally got the okay from Kakashi to let go of the arrow. Her body stood very still as her right eye looked over the side of the string and stared at the Konoha symbol. _Come on Sakura! You can do it! _She cheered herself on as she used her pointed finger as a guide for how high she was going to lift the bow. As soon as Sakura's finger made contact with the symbol, her body and mind suddenly went blank, it was as if Sakura's body had a mind of its own. _Got cha! _She internally screamed at Kakashi's belt loop as her index and middle finger effortlessly released the arrow.

The two of them watched as the arrow passed Kakashi and slammed into the tree's trunk. Sakura didn't give Kakashi time to stroll over to the tree. Sakura sprinted towards the tree and came to a skidding halt right as the feathered end of the arrow came into her view.

"Mr. Kakashi! Look!" Sakura shouted and waved her hands over her head, "look what I did!"

Kakashi strolled over to the tree and stared at the arrow. _Incredible. _He stared at the arrow with an indifferent stare, but deep down he was absolutely amazed. He took a step closer to the arrow and saw that she hit the very center of the Konoha symbol. He turned his head to Sakura and waved for her to come close.

"See?! I got it right in the middle!" She explained as her eyes barely glanced at his pierced belt loop. _I knew I got it in, _she thought to herself.

"I see that Sakura, a very good job," he told her as he ruffed the top of her head. _Sarutobi is going to be rather concerned when he hears about this. _

"Hey Mr. Kakashi…"

"Hm?" Kakashi watched as Sakura started to fumble with the tips of her hair. _She's hesitant…why?_

"Is it normal to be this good on a first try?"

"Everyone has a lucky shot or they have natural talent, it seems like today you had both," he finished with another ruffle of her hair.

"But…" she stopped in the middle of her sentence and shuffled her sandaled feet into the ground, "never mind."

"Here," Kakashi easily pulled the arrow from the oak tree with a flick of his wrist. He turned on his heels and handed the arrow to Sakura, "would you like to practice some more?"

"Sure…" Sakura gingerly took the arrow and proceeded to follow Kakashi back to their initial starting point.

"This time I won't tell you what to do," Kakashi took a step back from Sakura and stood on the side. _I want to see how much she has retained. _He watched as Sakura nodded her head and began to slide the arrow through the notch and attach it to the string. _Sarutobi said that she has always been a quick study. _His determined eye watched with anticipation as the small fearless child raised the bow and began to aim for the Konoha symbol once again. _Normal children wouldn't be able to stand at the end of any weapon and have the willingness to test it out...but not Sakura. She is a completely different child._

_Raise the bow only when you are ready. _Sakura took a deep breath in and her grip tightened around the base of the bow and the arrow. _Left shoulder pointed to the tree. _Her concentrated emerald eyes looked down at her left shoulder and positioned herself accordingly. _Now raise the bow and pull the arrow to the corner of my mouth. _Sakura repeated Kakashi's words in her head as she drew back the arrow and outstretched her left pointer finger. _Aim….and….fire! _Without another thought, Sakura released the arrow and heard a solid thud emit from the oak tree.

"Your form was very nice Sakura," Kakashi complimented her as he walked over to the tree to retrieve the arrow.

"Thank you Mr. Kakashi!" _Though it was just like last time… _Sakura lifted the bow from her side and brought it to eye level. _It's like I did this before…_

When Kakashi arrived at the oak tree's side his grey eye almost tripled in size. _She hit the mark…again…_ He pulled out the arrow and proceeded to walk back to Sakura while he reeled in his emotions. _She's a quick study, but I wonder how well she does when I change the distance of her target._

For hours Kakashi and Sakura stood in the forest practicing different techniques for shooting the bow and arrow. It wasn't until Kakashi noticed the sun beginning to lower over the tops of the trees did he realize it was time to head back home. He pulled out the arrow embedded into the ground one last time and motioned for Sakura to follow him out of their training ground.

"Do we have to leave Mr. Kakashi?" Sakura whined as she roughly placed her bow in his outstretched hand. _I don't want to leave!_

"It's almost dinner time, your father would be very upset if we missed dinner," Kakashi explained to her in an all-knowing tone.

Sakura folded her arms and huffed, "but I was having fun!"

Kakashi flashed Sakura a smile at her comment, "don't worry we will have fun again."

"Really?!" her small mouth opened wide as she cheered into the sky, "yahoo!"

_That is, if I can convince Sarutobi. _Kakashi pictured his conversation with the governor over his adoptive daughter as they passed through the center of Konoha. _This will be a very delicate conversation. _His mind continued to play different scenarios over and over in his mind of Sarutobi's reaction, none of which sat well with him. _And this day just keeps getting longer._

Before Kakashi could dwell more on the future conversation, they had arrived at Sakura's manor. _Here we go, _he patted his inner-coat pocket as Sakura lead the way through the cobble stone pathway to the front doors, _I guess I will never know if the woman wakes up from her coma! _The sudden horrific thought nearly made Kakashi cry.

"Mr. Kakashi, are you okay?" Sakura asked as she forcefully pulled on the thick bronze s-shaped door handle.

"Oh…" Kakashi raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, "yes."

Sakura stood on the mahogany porch staring at the strange adult, "okay…" She held the door opened for him and immediately sprinted off into her home looking for her father. _Mr. Kakashi is so weird. _

"DAD!" Sakura shouted at the top of her lungs as she sprinted up and down the granite-stoned staircase, "where are you?!"

As Sakura continued to run back and forth between the second floor, the stairs, and the first floor entrance-way, Kakashi strolled towards the kitchen where he heard the sounds of iron pans clanging together.

"I see that you made it back in one piece," Sarutobi said with a smile.

"I didn't think he would make it," a feminine voice interjected.

Kakashi slide onto one of the bar stools next to the blonde haired woman and slouched in his stool, "have some faith in me Tsunade, not all of us have the talent you do."

The collision of a sake bottle against his triceps was her response, "you have that right Kakashi!"

Sarutobi watched as the blonde haired woman swayed back and forth on her stool. He then turned his attention to Kakashi, "I take it things went well?"

"Yes, though you might want to tell her that you are in the kitchen." They all took a moment of silence to hear her feet slamming against the elm-wood floors above.

Sarutobi nodded his head, "Sakura I'm in the kitchen!"

The three adults heard her footsteps trample across the floors, down the stairs, only to have her slide through the kitchen into the ten foot long maple table. They watched as Sakura flipped onto the center of the table and sat cross-legged, a little dazed from the maneuver she performed.

"Sakura?" Sarutobi said her name with caution.

"Dad! Guess what I did today?!" Sakura didn't miss a beat as she spun around on her rear-end, using her forest-green dress as the surface to spin her body to face her father. "Oh hi Mrs. Tsunade!"

"What did I tell you about calling me Mrs.?!" Tsunade glared at the child and slammed her sake bottle onto the bar.

"Oh, right!" Sakura giggled at the angered woman, "sorry Tsunade!"

"Did you have fun?" Sarutobi asked her.

Sakura's face lit up like the center of Konoha during its spring festival. "I sure did!" She used her arms to lift herself into a standing position and began to march across the table. "First we went into town," she jumped over to one side of the table, "then there was this man with a bow and Mr. Kakashi made the man fall to the ground!" She slapped her hands to emphasize the loud thud the merchant's body made. Her animated eyes turned to the other end of the table and she propelled herself to that side, "then we went into the forest and I got to shoot a bow!" She shot Sarutobi a bright smile as she took a running start to jump onto the last remaining stool near Tsunade. "It was awesome!"

"Oh really now?" Sarutobi stared at Kakashi with an unreadable expression.

"Whoa there kiddo, you need to stop sprinting on furniture, you'll break your skull," Tsunade waved her finger in Sakura's face.

"I won't! I'm tough!" Sakura explained as she stuck her tongue out in Tsunade's direction.

"Sakura, why don't you go upstairs and wash up for dinner," Sarutobi ordered as he continued to hold Kakashi's gaze.

"Okay!" Sakura hopped off the stool and proceeded to skip down the hallway towards the stairs.

Sarutobi waited until he could hear the pitter-patter of her small feet skipping across the floor above him before he opened his mouth, "why was Sakura shooting an arrow?" His black eyes stared unnervingly at Kakashi.

"I can explain," Kakashi stepped down from the stool and improved his posture to an upright position.

"You better make it a good one," Tsunade whispered to him as she reached across the bar and grabbed her second bottle of sake. _I haven't seen Sarutobi this emotionless in a long time. It seems like he has grown attached to that little girl. _That thought make Tsunade smile, it had been a while since she has seen the governor passionate about something other than Konoha's safety.

"Then explain," Sarutobi placed the two iron pans on the other side of the granite counter-top behind him, without breaking Kakashi's eye contact.

"She wanted to play with it, it was the first time I had ever seen her smile at something like she did when she first saw the bow," he cautiously watched his old mentor as he carefully worded his next sentence. "She followed all of my instructions. We were in a safe environment in the woods with no civilians around, and surprisingly enough," he looked down at the marble-stoned bar his calm hands were resting on, _here it goes. _Kakashi took a deep breath before he continued on, "she was good at it…really good at it."

Sarutobi stood on the other side of the bar as he listened to Kakashi's explanation. _He allowed Sakura to shoot a weapon with no one around. _Sarutobi, although he hated to admit it, had to agree in Kakashi's decision to seclude her from the village. _But I have never seen Sakura this animated and excited since I finally agreed to include eel into her weekly diet. _He replayed the moment his daughter ran into the house up until he sent her away to wash-up for dinner, her bright smile and the overjoyed atmosphere around her was something he truly couldn't ignore. "I asked you to make her happy, and although it isn't my favorite choice you made, you managed to make her overjoyed. I haven't seen her smile like that in a very long time."

_Phew! I'm not a dead man. _Kakashi felt like four cement blocks were lifted off his shoulders. "It surprised me how accurate she was on her first time."

Tsunade's ears perked up at this comment, "exactly how good?" Her amber eyes stared Kakashi down as she set aside her sake bottle.

"When I gave her a target from 10 feet away she was able to hit the center of my belt," Kakashi parted his forest green vest as he pointed to the leather strap with the Konoha symbol residing in the middle.

"From ten feet away huh?" Tsunade smirked at this news, "well damn Sarutobi, it looks like you have a gifted one!"

"Unfortunately it will stop here. I don't want Sakura playing with weapons. She is already adventurous enough without them." Sarutobi pictured Sakura managing to slip a bow and arrow past Iruka and showing everything her new found skill. _Then she will have even less friends than she does now. _

"Um…about that," Kakashi started to rub the back of his neck when his comment caused Sarutobi to turn a questionable look his way.

"I know what you're going to ask. The answer is no," he said sternly.

"But Sarutobi, the world is getting darker and darker by the day. With an increase in the amount of pirates that are roaming the seas Sakura should learn to defend herself."

"Sakura is just fine without learning how to fight from one of my top knights," Sarutobi was not enjoying the idea of Sakura being seen as a warrior.

"He has a point Sarutobi," Tsunade pushed her stool back, walked around the bar, and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, "with the way Sakura acts now, I cannot imagine the amount of trouble she will get herself into by the time she is 15. I would take Kakashi up on his offer, who better to learn from than one of your top knights."

The two of them watched as Sarutobi's brow started to move towards the center of his forehead. _Unfortunately they are right. I cannot assign one of my knights to escort Sakura every day of her life. This growing epidemic with pirates has me spread thin enough. _A deep sigh came from his lips as his eyes closed momentarily as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to say. "I will allow you to teach my daughter Kakashi," he stared into the knight's gray eye with protective a protective stare, "but if I see that Sakura is learning not what she is supposed to, you're done."

"Understood," Kakashi finished with a slight smile.

Their conversation ended just in time, for Sakura came sliding into the kitchen once again, this time she managed to jump onto the empty bar stool. "What's for dinner Dad?" she asked with a happy grin.

"Goose, while I prepare it Kakashi has something to tell you," Sarutobi said as he patted her head before he turned around and proceeded to tend to his full goose on the other counter.

"What?" Sakura asked as she used her silk silver nightgown to twirl around the surface of the stool to meet Kakashi's eye.

"Well Sakura, remember how we shot that arrow today?"

She nodded her head, "yeah it was a lot of fun!"

"I asked your father and he said it would be okay for me to train you."

"You mean…" her eyes started to grow wider and wider as the realization sunk into her head, "I can do it every day?!"

"That's right," he chuckled at her expression as she proceeded to throw her arms into the air.

"Don't forget Sakura, I'll be teaching you a few things as well," Tsunade sneakily interjected.

"Really Tsunade?! This has been the best day ever!" Sakura giggled as she hugged Kakashi and Tsunade as thanks.

"Wait, that wasn't the deal," Kakashi interjected.

Tsunade gave the miniature Sakura a hug and shrugged her shoulders, "without my help Kakashi, you wouldn't have even gotten Sarutobi to consider your offer."

Kakashi looked to Sarutobi, "are you okay with this?"

The slam of Sarutobi's knife echoed through the kitchen as he continued to skin the animal. _Not like I have a choice. _He could hear the happiness in Sakura's voice at the mention of Tsunade teaching her. _She's even happier than before. Maybe this is what she needs to stay out of trouble. _"Against my better judgment Kakashi, yes I am okay with this."

"Looks like we will have to plan around each other," Tsunade reached back to her sake bottle and lifted it into the air, "unless you want to be partners," she winked in Kakashi's direction. _What a fun little project this will turn out to be, _she thought to herself as she took one big swig of her tasteless liquor.

"Right," Kakashi nodded his head at her remark. _Tsunade is a tricky one. I should have known there was a reason behind her talking Sarutobi into agreeing with me._

Sakura watched the exchange with a bright smile. _First I get to learn how to shoot an arrow and now Tsunade is going to teach me stuff about plants! I can't wait to show everyone at school!_

* * *

Dinner did not take very long to prepare, within a few hours Tsunade, Kakashi, Sarutobi, and Sakura were gathered around the large table with a plate full of freshly cooked goose in front of them.

"Enjoy everyone," Sarutobi motioned as he slowly picked up his silver fork and brought it over to the slices of goose that decorated his white porcelain plate.

"Thank you for the invitation Sarutobi, it has been a while since I have been able to enjoy my time in Konoha," Tsunade nodded a thank-you as she picked up her own fork and started to select which piece looked the most appealing.

"It was no problem Tsunade, your grandfather was a very close friend of mine. His family is my family," Sarutobi answered with a soft smile. He turned his eyes to Kakashi and watched the man shovel the tender goose into his mouth at lightning speed, "thank you for taking Sakura for the day Kakashi."

A loud gulp came from Kakashi's side of the table, "it was no problem Sarutobi," he gave Sakura a hidden wink from across the table.

"She must have been a handful by the way you're shoving that food down your throat," Tsunade commented as the younger man shoved another piece of goose into his masked mouth.

"You'll see what it's like when it's your turn to watch her," Kakashi added.

Tsunade rolled her amber eyes and stared down at the quiet child next to her. When she looked down, she noticed that Sakura hadn't touched any of her food. "Is there something wrong with the food Sakura?"

The young girl held onto her silver fork, staring at the goose in front of her. _How can they eat this?! _She moved her fork to a small piece and slammed her fork into its center. _It doesn't even look good. _

"Sakura is a little picky when it comes to food," Sarutobi informed her.

_Oh? _Tsunade placed her fork on the side of her plate and cleared her throat, "Sakura, look at me," she ordered.

Sakura held onto her fork, with a goose piece still attached, and stared up at the big chested woman, "yes?"

Tsunade lowered her upper body in order to be at eye level with her. Amber eyes held emerald as Tsunade tilted her head towards the small goose that rested on top of Sakura's fork, "I'll make you a deal. If you eat all of your goose I will personally pick you up from school and show you a few explosions," she finished off with an encouraging wink.

Sakura looked back and forth between the goose and Tsunade, _is it worth it? _She sat in her chair contemplating with herself but the more she started to think about it, the more she realized how stupid she was. _Who am I kidding?! No food can get in the way of more fun things! _

"Deal!" she gave Tsunade a determined nod.

"Good," Tsunade's eyes drifted from the fork and down to Sakura's face, where the gleaming of the table's crystal chandelier caused a ray of light to shine on a golden chain around Sakura's neck. _I wonder what that could be. Sarutobi doesn't strike me as a man to give young children expensive gold necklaces._

"Sakura, what is around your neck?"

The sudden question asked by Tsunade caused Sarutobi to slightly lose his grip on the fork in his hand. His black eyes looked to Sakura as he waited for his chance to dissipate the conversation before it progressed too far.

Sakura looked away from the surprisingly good tasting goose and pointed to her necklace, "this?" Tsunade's head nodding indicated to Sakura that she was supposed to elaborate more about it. "It's a locket. See…"

Before Sakura could pull the locket out from underneath her dress, there was a sudden slamming noise that came from the main foyer. Tsunade and Kakashi looked to Sarutobi as the governor pushed out his chair and calmly began to walk over to his front door.

"Can the two of you stay here with Sakura for a moment?" He asked them as he walked out of the kitchen.

"I guess we didn't have a choice," Kakashi mumbled under his breath.

Sakura looked between the two adults with curious eyes, "what's going on? Where is Dad going?"

"He will be right back, don't you worry," Tsunade reassured her.

Sakura dropped her fork and crossed her small arms over her chest. _She didn't answer my question._

The three of them sat in silence as they tried to listen for any clues as to what was going on. All they could hear was a few whispers and footsteps before Sarutobi reappeared at the head of the table. Tsunade and Kakashi examined their leader's posture as his face was masked with an unreadable emotion.

Sarutobi looked at the two of them and then locked eyes with Sakura, "I'm sorry Sakura but I have to go back to work," he said in his governor-type tone.

"Why?" Sakura asked as her eyes fell from her dad's face and stared at the remaining goose on her plate.

"It's nothing you should worry about," he turned his attention to Tsunade and Kakashi, "can you put Sakura to bed when she is done with dinner?"

"Is everything alright?" Kakashi had worked for Sarutobi long enough to notice there was something wrong. _He only uses his political stature when an event has gone horribly wrong._

"Thank you," Sarutobi side-stepped Kakashi's question and sprinted out the main doors.

* * *

"Report," Sarutobi ordered as he sprinted into his office and slammed the door behind him.

Before him was one of his most renowned spy's. The spy was a tall, thin man covered by a black cotton-made cloak. His bony fingers traveled to the corner of his black hood and pushed it off his head. "The Land of Lightning sent over a fleet across waters to deal with the ruthless pirate gang. Reports tell me that this crew did not come back alive."

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at the purple eyed man. _He wouldn't interrupt my family dinner just to tell me typical updates about the situation in Lightning. _"Continue," he pressed on.

"There were two non-Lightning Country affiliated members aboard that ship. They were sent to aid the shorthanded army. The two on that ship were Minato and Kushina Uzumaki." The spy watched at his governor began to slightly twitch as his hands gripped the velvet covered chair behind his desk. "Lightning Country does not wish for you to think ill-will of them. They needed a helping hand and the Uzumaki's volunteered, telling the Governor that it will strengthen their political standings and increase trade between the two countries."

_Of course they would say that. _Sarutobi utilized the chair for support at he absorbed the news. _Even though this was their mission, that they accepted and knew the risks of this sensitive mission, their death is not something I can immediately recover from. _He stared down at his wrinkly hands as flashbacks of a young Minato thriving in the political world. His renowned talent for detecting hidden leaks helped Sarutobi transform Konoha to one of the most respected countries in the world. _He and Kushina were the closest thing to a family I had had since my wife Biwako and children passed away. _A deep sigh escaped his sagging lips; _this is our circle of life. As knights and politicians they knew their life could be cut short. _But even this realization could not mend the hole in his heart.

"Governor," The spy softly called out, afraid to push the man into a conversation he was not ready to handle.

"What else?" Sarutobi hid the hurt in his voice effortlessly.

"What should we do about the child?"

_What child? _Sarutobi stepped away from his chair and slowly walked around the ten foot long cherry red mahogany desk.

"Minato's son," the spy took the quietness as an indication to provide more information.

"Where is he?" Sarutobi felt his heart sink even lower into the pit of his stomach. _Their child is only two years old._

"My subordinate traveled to Kushina's sister's home, to find it abandoned. The child is in your building as we speak."

"I will take him," Sarutobi didn't hesitate in his quick decision. _Minato has no living relatives and apparently neither does Kushina. Naruto is more familiar with me, even if it is only slight, but I would rather have that boy in my care than someone else. _

"Are you sure? You already have one child, are you sure you can handle two?" _From what I heard his daughter is handful for just about anyone._

"Take me to Naruto, this is not a debate." _It is the least I can do to make sure Minato and Kushina's efforts to strengthen our ties to Lightning do not wither. _

Without another word, the spy waved for Sarutobi to follow him outside of his office, where a small child covered in a bright orange night shirt and pants was sleeping on another spy covered in the same black cotton-made cloth. The spy nodded to his comrade and the comrade placed the sleeping child into Sarutobi's arms.

"I know this is already enough to take in, but what should I tell the governor from Lightning?"

Sarutobi gently scooped the covered Naruto into his arms. _He is right, the longer we wait on trying to figure out what to do, the longer Governor Kohaku will worry. Instead of becoming stronger allies we will become strained enemies. _He nodded his head towards the spy, "I want you and another spy you hold in high regard to travel back to the Land of Lightning and tell Governor Kohaku that even in this dark unfortunate event, that our alliance is not damaged. Like Minato and Kushina said, our bond has grown stronger. I will be sending over an elite team of six knights that will join the governor on the mission to sink the Pirate ship and its crew that goes by the name Taka."

"Hai, right away," the spy turned towards the other spy and together they blended into the shadows and slipped away into the night.

* * *

"Come on Sakura, cut us some slack, it's time for bed," Kakashi pleaded with the highly stubborn child.

"No! I am not going to bed until Dad gets home," Sakura crossed her arms over her chest as she started down below at the two fuming adults.

"Sakura," Tsunade began to shake due to her short temper. _This child is impossible! _Her clenched eyes looked at the pink haired child that swung from the central iron-made chandelier, covered in crystals and pearls that draped around the candle sticks, which hung just between the front door and the marble staircase. "Bed. Now!"

"Nope," Sakura shook her head as she swung her legs back and forth trying to push the delicate piece like a swing.

Tsunade felt her blood boil at the ignorant child. _The nerve of this child! _Her fists began to ball into tight fists as her sharp nails dug into the lower portion of her palms. "How did we manage to not notice an eight year old girl climb onto a chandelier!"

Kakashi sunk back onto the back of his heels and slouched into a sitting position below the swinging chandelier, "I warned you, didn't I?" Kakashi pulled out his precious bright orange book and proceeded to flip to where he left off, "she won't come down no matter how much you scream."

"Sitting on your ass reading that perverted book isn't going to help either."

"Unless you are willing to throw yourself on top of that object to get her down I don't see why we should continue to try. She will have to come down eventually."

"How about I throw your pathetic useless body up there instead?" Tsunade whispered in his ear as she stood behind his back.

The sudden threat caused Kakashi to feel a slight shiver crawl throughout his spine. _I forgot how intimidating this woman could be._

"I don't hear you objecting…I'll take that as…"

A sudden squeak of the front door caused Tsunade to stop mid-sentence. She looked to Kakashi, as he jumped to his feet and withdrew his sword. Tsunade brought her eyes to the curious Sakura who was now standing on the edge of the light fixture.

"Sakura, get back," Tsunade warned as she braced herself of the poor intruder that dared to step through that door and into the house.

The three of them watched as the door continued to open wider, until an exhausted looking Sarutobi and a young blonde child came into their view. Sarutobi paid them no attention as he swiftly shut the door behind him. When he took off his sandals and turned around, he eyed Kakashi and Tsunade with a questionable look.

"What is going on?"

Kakashi retracted his sword and placed it at his side, "oh well…you see…"

"Dad! You're back!" Sakura shouted from the top of the chandelier.

"Sakura, why are you on my chandelier?" Sarutobi stared at his daughter as she giggled in embarrassment.

"Well Mr. Kakashi and Tsunade were trying to make me go to bed, but I wanted to go to bed when you got home, and now look! You're back," she ended with a huge smile.

"Mmhm," the sudden noise caused everyone to look at the still sleeping child in Sarutobi's arms.

"What's that?" Sakura asked eyeing the strange heap in her father's arms.

"If you come down, you'll find out," Tsunade enticed as she stood under the light.

"Oh…okay!" Sakura took her two feet and jumped off of the chandelier.

"Are you crazy?!" Tsunade ran backwards and outstretched her arms to catch Sakura just in time.

Sakura felt the wind in her air and on her face as she descended down to the floor. _Wahoo! _Her excitement was short lived for she fell into the arms of a hyperventilating Tsunade. "Thanks Tsunade," Sakura said as she jumped out of the woman's arms unaffected by her dare-devilish actions.

_This girl, does she not understand what she just tried to do? _Tsunade sat on the red carpet in shock by the amount of fearlessness instilled in the child.

"So what is it?" Sakura walked up to her father's side as she waited for him to answer her question.

"It's a child Sakura," Sarutobi answered her as he gently lowered himself into a sitting position on the ground, allowing Sakura to get a better visual.

"Why is he here?" Sakura looked back at the small child and raised her finger to his shoulder. She watched as his back began to rise in fall as she heard small puffs of air escape his slightly opened mouth. "He's not moving," she pocked his shoulder in hopes that the child would start to move.

"Sakura we don't do that," however, Sarutobi's warning was not quick enough, for the young child began to move around in his hold.

The young boy raised his blonde spiky haired head from Sarutobi's comfortable shoulder and turned his attention to the pink haired girl only inches away from him.

_Whoa! _Sakura felt herself hold her breath as she made eye contact with big cerulean eyes. _He's so cute! _She flashed him a friendly smile, "hey there. My name is Sakura, what's yours?"

Cerulean eyes, as wide as saucers, timidly peaked over Sarutobi's shoulder. He stared at Sakura intently, not daring to take his eyes off of the strange girl. His blonde hair shifted around as he tried to retreat back behind Sarutobi's shoulder.

"No don't be scared!" Sakura raised her hand in the air and gently lower her hand onto his head, mimicking what Kakashi always did to her. She slowly lowered her hand until she felt the soft, smooth, spikes touch her entire hand. _It's soft. _She lowered her hand even more until she felt his skull underneath his thick pile of hair. This sudden action caused Naruto to return his attention back to Sakura.

"Ba ba?" the sudden noise caused Sakura to pull her hand away from his head.

"I didn't hurt him did I?"

Sarutobi shook his head as a soft smile eased onto his face, "no Sakura, he is not hurt."

"What's his name?" Sakura continued to stare at his chubby light pink cheeks as his small mouth started to open and close.

"His name is Naruto."

"Can…" Sakura looked hesitant towards Naruto, "can he stand up?"

Tsunade and Kakashi had positioned themselves on the opposite side of Sarutobi as they watched the interaction between Naruto and Sakura. At the sudden request, the two of them were both curious to see how the governor would answer. Both of them noticed the protective way he held Naruto when he entered the home and for a minute they didn't think Sarutobi was going to relinquish Naruto.

"Sit down," he instructed Sakura. As soon as she sat down Sarutobi gently pulled Naruto away from his body and lowered him down onto his bottom. The sudden change in position caused the timid Naruto to stare at Sakura, not daring to move anywhere in the strange atmosphere. Every few seconds he would look over to Sarutobi to make sure that the only person he knew would not leave him alone.

"See? I'm not scary," Sakura said softly as she slowly inched closer to Naruto.

"Isn't that Minato's son?" Kakashi whispered to Sarutobi as the three adults continued to watch Sakura.

"Yes."

"Did something happen to them?" Tsunade also whispered.

"He, he!" A small sweet baby laugh came from Naruto's mouth as Sakura started to make funny faces and play hide-and-seek behind her hands.

The sudden laughter brought a smile to Tsunade's face, "for a reckless kid, she seems to be handling this very cautiously."

"Hey Dad," Sakura smiled at Naruto and started to lightly poke various parts on his body, causing Naruto to giggle more and try to capture the pesky finger that continued to run away from him, "do we have to give him back?" She looked away, only for a second, from Naruto to Sarutobi. Her eyes conveyed a sense of worry. _He should just stay here with us! _

"No Sakura, Naruto is your little brother now," at this confession Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sakura gasped.

"Really?!" Sakura shot Naruto a bright smile, "hear that little brother! You're living with Dad and I!"

"This means you must watch over him Sakura. You have to make sure that he has someone to play with and someone to look up to," Sarutobi gave Sakura a stern look as he explained her new role in their household.

"Hai! You can count on me Dad!"

Sarutobi nodded his head, "good."

"Wait Sarutobi…what happened to Minato and Kushina?" Kakashi asked.

"I'll explain everything once Sakura and Naruto are put to bed," and with that Sarutobi scooted over to Sakura and Naruto. "It is bed time for the both of you," Sarutobi stood up and motioned for Sakura to take Naruto upstairs and head to bed. _Maybe having Naruto will force Sakura to renounce her crazy actions. _The more he thought about the events that had fallen into his hands, the more he was starting to realize that these children would begin to help fill the voids in his heart that never truly healed. _They are my new family that I will take care of and protect for the rest of my life._

**5 Years Later**

Deep within the thriving forest on the outskirts of Konoha, three young children were near a calm, slow moving river that ran from one end of Konoha's forest to the other. One child stood at the very edge of the river watching the water sluggishly washed over the rounded rocks at the bottom of the inlet while the other two were conversing amongst themselves.

The only female of the group was pacing around their area frantically looking for a rock. She sprinted from one end of their opened field to the other picking up rocks of various shapes and sizes and tossing them into the air.

"Uh, Miss. Sakura…what are you doing?" A young boy followed the female around as she proceeded to throw rocks over her shoulder, forgetting that the thin boy was right where she always threw the rocks.

"Lee, we are both the same age, I don't know why you call me that, just call me Sakura," she pointed out as she lifted her light pink slim-fitting dress just above her knees. "I am looking for the right rock," she explained to him.

"Oh, yes Miss. Sakura…I mean Sakura!" Lee corrected himself as he felt his round face begin to turn red as he noticed Sakura pulling her dress higher than normal girls in their classroom ever dared. "But…why a rock?"

Sakura turned her body around to face Lee as she continued to run, backwards, to her next location. "I need a rock to sharpen…" Sakura stopped in mid-stride, as she crossed paths with their other friend that sat at the water's edge, and bent over to pull out their object of discussion that was hidden in her school bag. "This little guy," she pulled out a long slender arrow made of hickory wood. The tough arrow possessed a sharp iron point and a dark red feather on the other end.

When Lee saw the sharp object his marble-shaped black eyes grew ten times in size and because of this sudden growth his very thick black bushy eye brows almost blended into his black bowl-shaped hair style. "Sakura you shouldn't be playing with that! It's dangerous!" Lee ran to her side in hopes of grabbing it out of her hand.

Sakura giggled at his antics and quickly moved the arrow to her other hand. A light summer breeze rustled against the leaves and caused Sakura's shoulder length bubble gum pink hair to gently play against the wind, causing some strands to dance across her face. The all too sudden display caused Lee to withdraw his actions and sheepishly look to the ground.

_Why does this always happen when Sakura is around? _Lee could feel his blush intensify even more as his mind flashed a mental picture of the radiant smile Sakura just gave him. _She's too pretty! _Out of all of their classmates, Lee could not take his eyes off of Sakura, she was energetic and nothing ever bothered her. S_he is different than the rest of the girls _Lee told himself as he regressed back into the corner of his mind.

"You can't talk her out of it Lee, Sakura never listens," a voice on the side of Lee interjected.

Sakura's smile turned into a straight line as she stomped her way over to the silent boy, "I do too listen!" Sakura narrowed her sparkling bright green eyes at the top of the boy's head.

"Neji, don't say that about Sakura!" Lee defended as he held his fists up to his classmate.

Not wanting to continue their pointless conversation, Neji turned his white eyes away from the water and stared at Sakura, "why do you need to sharpen that thing anyway?"

A new smile flashed across Sakura's face as she plopped down next to Neji and held the pointed metal-end in-between their bodies, "it's dull, and I need it for later this afternoon!"

_How does Neji stay so calm around Sakura? _Lee watched from afar as Neji effortlessly interacted with Sakura in such close proximity. _I better sit down too! _Not wanting to miss out on their conversation, Lee gracefully sat on the left-hand side of Sakura listening intently on the words that were flowing from her soft pink lips.

Neji raised a slim brown eye brow towards the top of his hairline, "this afternoon?" His white eyes narrowed in confusion as Sakura eagerly nodded her head.

"Today is the day that Kakashi is testing me!" Sakura stated proudly.

"What kind of a test?" Lee asked, amazed that second strongest knight was testing Sakura. _Mr. Kakashi could never compete with my Dad! He is the green Knight of Konoha!_

"A test to see if she can become a warrior," Neji answered. _I thought girls weren't allowed to do things like this? _But then again, Neji wasn't too surprised that his crazy friend was interested in doing something like this. _My test isn't for another week, how can hers be this early? _Neji felt jealousy burn inside him, _there is no way a girl will beat me to my promotion. _His mind began to formulate a plan to get his father to move his testing day to tomorrow. _There is no way she could beat Kakashi, _he told himself, trying to feel better about the situation.

Lee became horrified for the second time that day. He stared into Sakura's eyes as he placed his larger hands over hers, "you can't be a warrior Sakura! No girl should, it's for us men only!"

Neji smirked at Lee's comment, _good luck coming back from that one._

"I don't care what anyone says," Sakura glared at Lee and forcefully withdrew her hands from his, "I didn't train with Kakashi to become a knight, I trained to protect my little brother Naruto." Sakura quickly pulled herself onto her feet, grabbed her leather school bag, and turned her back to them. "I'm leaving," she huffed out as she stomped away from her two friends.

Her burning determination caused Lee to recollect his thoughts and scrambled to his feet, in hopes of following her, "Sakura, wait I didn't mean…" but Lee was too late, Sakura had already disappeared behind the sagging willow tree's tree branches.

"Maybe next time," Neji said as he shook his head at Lee.

Lee slowly nodded his head as his eyes returned to the soiled dirt beneath his leather boots. _Now what do I do?_

"Let's go Lee," Neji unemotionally stated as he began to walk back towards the entrance they had followed Sakura through.

"Hai," Lee called out in a depressed tone as he sluggishly followed Neji out of the forest.

Once Sakura ran away from her friends, she began to sprint towards the training grounds where Kakashi would be meeting her. _How dare Lee tell me that I can't do this, _she thought angrily as she started to weave around different pine trees, _I'll show him! _She pushed her body forward even faster trying to relinquish the pent up anger she was feeling.

Within minutes, Sakura had arrived at the biggest clearing that resided in Konoha's signature forest. Her head tilted towards the sun as she basked in its golden rays, _I still have a few hours until Kakashi shows up. _A deep inhale of air entered through Sakura's button shaped nose and exhaled out of her mouth as the young thirteen year old cleared her mind. _Time to get serious! _She thought as her eyes scanned the clearing for the giant rocks her and Kakashi would sit and each lunch on after an intense day of training.

_Perfect! _Sakura jumped on top of the seven foot tall limestone rock, sat down, and reached into her bag to pull out the other eight arrows she had hidden in her bag. "Time to get ready!" she told her arrows as she gently set them on the side of her body and began to sharpen them one by one against the rock she was sitting on. _Kakashi won't be easy. _Sakura held up her sharpened arrow and placed it on the opposite side of her body, in its own separate pile. _How can I beat him if he taught me everything I know? _Sakura could feel herself becoming restless from the waiting. _What am I saying?! Tsunade thought me things too! He won't know what hit him! _She cheered herself on as she finished sharpening her final arrow.

Once her arrows were sharp, Sakura proceeded to pull out her small bow and a few glass vials from her school bag. _It's a good thing Dad didn't see me take these from the house, _she giggled softly to herself as she tucked the glass vials, that came from the small medicine kit that Tsunade gave her, into the small pockets on the outside of her light pink dress. Sakura slid her backpack to the very edge of the rock as she positioned her small body into a lying down position. Her eyes stared at the bright blue sky and watched as the cotton-ball shaped clouds flew above her head without a care in the world. _I can do this. _She moved her right hand towards her visible collar bone and pulled on the golden chain that rested against her neck.

She used her fingers to pull the golden chain until an octagon shaped locket, made out of yellow gold, was revealed. _Wish me luck, _she told the locket as her small thumb traced over the large engraving of two eels. Each eel started at opposite ends of the locket and as they got closer and closer to the middle their bodies began to intertwine. By the time the eel carvings reached the center, their bodies were in the shape of a circle wrapping around the purplish red diamond that stood in the middle of the breathtaking jewelry. _We're going to show Kakashi what we are made of!_

It wasn't until the hot sun began to climb down from its throne at the center of the sky, did Kakashi and Sarutobi arrive at the training grounds. Sakura sat up on top of the rock as she heard their footsteps coming closer. _This is it! _

Kakashi and Sarutobi emerged from the depths of the evergreen forest and stood at the base of Sakura's rock. Sakura looked between the two adults and noticed that her other teacher was missing. She looked behind them hoping she would emerge from the trees, but when the tree's leaves didn't rustle she knew Tsunade wasn't coming.

"Where is Tsunade?" Sakura asked with a slight hint of sadness in her voice.

"Tsunade had to leave due to her duties as a healer," Sarutobi watched as Sakura's eyes dropped to the arrow on her side. Sarutobi stepped onto the rock and jumped to Sakura's side. He placed a loving hand on her shoulder and flashed Sakura a small smile, "I know you wanted her to see you, and she feels horrible for leaving."

"As a duty of a healer you must go and help others," Sakura stated the very sentence Tsunade taught her on their first training lesson.

"She wanted me to give you this," Sarutobi reached into his side pocket underneath his white and red robe and handed Sakura a small cotton bag the size of her palm.

"No way!" Sakura's eyes lit up at the new gift. _She never lets me play with this! _

"Should I be scared of what's in that Sakura?" Kakashi asked as he watched his student's mood drastically change.

Sakura looked up from the bag and nodded her head, "you better watch out Kakashi!" She finished her sentence with her small pink tongue sticking out between her lips.

"Come down Sakura, there are some rules we need to discuss before we begin," Kakashi instructed as he took a step back to allow Sakura space to land.

"What kind of rules?" Sakura asked as she and Sarutobi jumped off of the rock's point and landed onto the soft grass.

"You see…" Kakashi reached into his side pouch and pulled out a set of two brass bells that hung from a crimson colored ribbon, "these bells are the object you have to try to take from me."

Sakura started at the bells intently burning their shape into the back of her mind, "that's it?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No," he looked up at the slowly descending sun and then back to his young student, "you have until dark to retrieve these bells from me. Once the sun vanishes and the night sky is upon us, you will stop what you are doing and meet back here at the training grounds. If you don't capture these bells then you do not have what it takes to protect Naruto."

Sarutobi watched as Kakashi's words stung Sakura. Her whole body began to stiffen and her fists began to close into tight little fists. _Sakura has become very attached to Naruto. _It shocked Sarutobi at how protective Sakura acts around her little brother. _You would think she would expect him to be as reckless as her…but it's the exact opposite. However, with the arrival of Naruto, Sakura has managed to severely decrease her rambunctiousness. _And that was all Sarutobi could ask for. _She would have sent me to an early grave if her stunts continued, _he thought in horror.

"That won't happen," Sakura stated sternly.

Kakashi smirked at her determination, _I'm curious to see what you will do Sakura. I can only imagine what Tsunade has been teaching you. _It was that thought that caused Kakashi to be a little nervous.

"Okay then Sakura, grab your weapon of choice," Kakashi waited as Sakura took the small quiver from Sarutobi and hopped onto the rock. She quickly slipped the quiver over her shoulder and added eight additional arrows to the other arrows that rested inside the quiver. His trained eye watched closely as Sakura slipped three glass vials and the small bag Tsunade gave her into the quiver. When she hopped off the rock and tightened the leather strap around her body Kakashi continued, "when I say go the test will begin."

"Hai," Sakura's eyes watched Kakashi as he performed a backflip ten feet away from where she stood.

"Ready, set, go!" Kakashi shouted loud enough for Sakura to hear. _Time to see how much you have improved, _he thought with a smile as he stood, waiting for her to attack.

Sakura took a few steps forward as she eyed her mentor. _Attacking Kakashi from the front won't do me any good. _Her emerald eyes looked behind his back to see a darkening forest. _Maybe I can make him back up into the forest. _With a plan forming in her mind, Sakura ran towards Kakashi, fists forward, as she hurled a right handed punch towards his right side.

Kakashi effortlessly dodged her right punch by moving in the opposite direction. As soon as he dodged her punch, another one followed, causing him to outstretch his right foot to dance around her punch.

_I have to change it up if I don't want him to suspect anything. _Sakura stopped advancing on Kakashi and jumped backwards, putting a ten feet distance in-between them.

_Now what will you do? _Kakashi stood in his spot, curious to see what Sakura would do next.

Without hesitation, Sakura reached behind her back with her right hand and pulled out a paper-thin arrow. She slid its body against the wooden notch of the bow and pulled her right elbow straight back as her bow rose towards Kakashi's body, "I will get those bells!" She shouted as she released her arrow towards his right hip, where the pouch that guarded the bells resided.

"Clever," Kakashi jumped back just in time to have the arrow miss his body by a few inches. _That was close. Her aiming has improved greatly. _

"This time I won't miss," Sakura warned him as she pulled out another arrow and aimed for his right side once again.

_Oh I see what you're doing Sakura. _Kakashi pushed on the grass and propelled his body into the air. He landed softly on his brown leather boots and noticed how close he was to the forest. _It's time to take this up a notch. _"If you want these," Kakashi reached into his pocket and pulled out the bells, "you're going to have to come and get me," and without giving Sakura any other warning he vanished into the forest.

_Crap! _Sakura thought for sure she could have tricked him. _I better hurry! _She picked up her feet and sprinted into the forest as she took a moment to observe the position of the sun. _I will find you Kakashi!_

Sarutobi stood against the rock as he watched his daughter chase Kakashi into the forest. _Good luck Sakura, _he cheered her on as he climbed the limestone rock and proceeded to sit comfortably, waiting for the two of them to return.

* * *

Sakura ran through the forest wondering what direction Kakashi went. _It's like finding a needle in a haystack! _She shook her head and continued to run straight into the woods. _Wait a minute…_Sakura came to a skidding stop, causing dirt to spray out from underneath her sandals. _Maybe if I climb high enough I will be able to see him. _She took her bow and attached it around her back and with a slight bend in her knees she sunk down into her heels and quickly pushed off the ground. Her small hands effortlessly grabbed onto a tree branch and she hastily climbed the tree.

Meanwhile Kakashi had been following Sakura, watching her from afar. When he saw her begin to climb a tree six feet away from him, he knew what he had to do. With experience only Kakashi possessed, he swiftly climbed to the top of his tree and jumped from one tree-top to another until he reached Sakura's tree. _Time for a surprise, Sakura. _He looked down at the millions of green leaves that covered his path and jumped off the tree-top. His muscular build twisted and folded in positions unknown to Kakashi as he managed to weave his body around the incoming tee branches.

It took Kakashi not time to land soundlessly on a sturdy tree branch. When he looked down he could see Sakura's pink hair climbing higher into the tree. He lifted his feet off of the tree branch and flipped his body towards Sakura's unaware body. The sudden sound of rustling leaves caused Sakura to narrow her eyes at the path above her. "Kakashi!" She yelled out as she saw her mentor's silver hair peeking through the leaves. Even though her teacher was flying towards her, she did not back down, instead she pushed forward. _Maybe if I run into him he will have to move and then I can grab the bells._

"I don't think so Sakura," Kakashi said, as if he had read her mind. He side-stepped around her body as soon as she appeared from the lower portion of the tree, outstretched his hand, and curled it under her body. The unexpected twist of events caught Sakura off-guard as Kakashi extended his curled fist and punched her in her unguarded stomach.

"Gah," Sakura felt the wind being knocked out of her by the sudden assault.

"Is this all you got Sakura?" Kakashi jeered at her as he removed his arm from her stomach and watched as the force from his punch caused Sakura's body to project sideways and down towards the ground.

As Sakura fell from the tree she felt several branches slam against her back as she tried to regain control over her stunned body. By the time Sakura snapped out of the discomfort from Kakashi's punch she flipped her body over and landed on her feet while using her outstretched right hand for additional support. She looked up in the trees to see Kakashi smiling down at her, "you don't have time to waste Sakura," Kakashi informed her as he sprinted away from her line of sight.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! _Sakura slammed her hands against her head as punishment for allowing Kakashi to get the upper hand. _No more games! _Sakura looked around her surroundings to make sure Kakashi had vanished. "Now if I was skunk cabbage where would I be?" Not wasting the amount of daylight she had left, Sakura raced through the thickly settled forest, following the mental picture in her head. _Left…right…straight. _She weaved her slender body around a small group of pine trees and passed the biggest red maple tree that existed in the forest. _Pass the red maple tree and down the rocky path. _Sakura told herself, as flashbacks of Tsunade guiding her through the forest towards a hidden garden the forest offered, directed her to her destination.

She quickly hopped down the slight rock-filled hill and landed feet first onto very moist dark black soil. Emerald eyes scanned the moist environment, looking for tall green cabbage-like branches that sprouted out of the ground. _There it is. _Sakura threw herself into the small patch of cabbage and hastily grabbed onto the top of one of the plants, not caring that her light pink dress was covered in black soil. _Come on, pull! _Sakura used all her might to force the cabbage to leave its home and enter the world outside of its soil. With her sudden change in power, the cabbage became loose and sent Sakura flying a few feet away from where it once stood.

Recovering quickly from the sudden tumble, she grabbed a handful of arrows and proceeded to drench the arrowheads in the juice that was pouring out of the stem of the cabbage. The sudden smell caused Sakura to gag. _Tsunade wasn't kidding when she said it smells like a skunk! _When Sakura had fully covered her arrows in the scent, she pulled out a colorless vial and hastily threw the cap behind her. _This should hide any scent. _Sakura poured the whole bottle on the arrows and shoved them back into her quiver. _Time to move. _She placed the empty vial back into her bag and ran back into the forest.

While Sakura was hunting down plants, Kakashi was leisurely hopping from various locations within a 5 mile radius around the training site. _Changing this frequently should keep Sakura guessing. I haven't been able to pinpoint her location yet, which means she must be looking for me deeper in the forest. _Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and stopped his jumps as soon as his boots made contact with a thick oak tree's branch. _While I wait, _he reached inside his green vest and pulled out his favorite orange covered book. "There is no harm in taking a few minutes to read you," he whispered softly to the book as he rubbed the rough paper against his mask. _He has to go back for her! _Kakashi whimpered as his imagination ran wild with the heart stopping plot twists that existed inside the book.

As Kakashi read his book, his student continued to run deeper into the woods. _Where could he have gone? _Sakura scaled the forest as she decreased her speed. _Man, this is hard. _Sakura didn't realize how tired she was becoming. Taking a moment, Sakura stopped in the middle of a small opening in the forest to catch her breath. Her chest continued to rise up and down rapidly as her mouth opened wider and wider to allow a bigger supply of oxygen to full her desperate lungs. _Wait…this is a test…._ Sakura turned her body around to face the direction of the training grounds. _Maybe he is closer to camp! _Sakura felt strongly about her assumption and wasted no time in climbing as high up into the trees as she could possibly go. _When I get close enough I'll stand at the top and see if I can see anything._

_No! How could you let the enemy steal her away! You just got her back in your arms! _Kakashi felt his hands crinkling the paper book at the stomach twisting event. His eager grey eye continued to read the page, but as soon as he got to the scene where the main character confronts the enemy he noticed that Sakura was slowly approaching his location. _But it was getting to the best part. _Kakashi sighed and tucked the book back into its pocket. He looked up and to his right, to see an isle of trees enticing him to jump into their sturdy arms. _For a thirteen year old girl she isn't half bad. _Kakashi thought as he turned right and proceeded to jump through the trees.

_I have to be close. _Sakura stopped running and climbed to the very top of the tree she was standing on. Her nimble body managed to swiftly swerve around branches until she reached the very top, where she could have a bird's eye view of the whole forest. "Whoa," Sakura could see the forest for miles. Each tree possessed their own types of leaves and when she tried to look down all that greeted her view was a swimming pool of greenery. _Amazing! _Her eyes turned to the darkening sky as she reached a hand trying to touch the sun. _I'm closer and yet I can't touch it, _she thought with a pout.

The sudden disturbance of a few trees out caught Sakura's eye and caused her to be brought back to reality. _Kakashi! _Her eyes narrowed as the normally still trees began to sway. The swaying of the leaves began to outline a path towards the river Lee, Neji, and her were earlier in the day. _Yes! _Sakura cheered in excitement as she climbed down from the top of the tree and sprinted towards the path Kakashi was headed towards.

Sakura sprinted after Kakashi, while keeping her distance, and slowly lowered her position in the trees as she got closer to Kakashi. Kakashi could sense Sakura's presence behind him, but didn't reveal that he knew. He continued to jog through the trees until he felt the need to stop. _I won't run forever, _he thought as he turned around to face the direction in which Sakura would be located.

_Eep! He is looking this way! _Sakura ducked behind a tree branch and positioned herself to be out of his line of sight. She looked over to the area to the left of Kakashi and then looked into the trees for a path. _If I get over there I can use these arrows! _Sakura released her grip on the tree trunk and dropped down a few feet as she started to run in the opposite direction of Kakashi.

Kakashi's silver eye brow raised in the air as he slowly felt her vanish into the forest. _She just had me, why would she run away? _His body became stiff as he looked all around the area for any traps she may have set. Fortunately for Kakashi, he could not find any. _Phew, that's a relief. _

While Kakashi stood on top of his tree branch, Sakura had managed to maneuver herself to face Kakashi's left side forty feet away. _Thank god for that shortcut Neji showed me, _Sakura mentally thanked Neji as she prepared herself. She crouched down and reached into her quiver to pull out one of the arrows covered in the skunk cabbage and a purple colored vial. _This cancels out the other herb, but as soon as I do this I have to shoot this arrow fast! _Sakura took a deep breath in and out as she went as swiftly as possible to dip the arrow in the purple liquid and fire the arrow through the perfect line of sight the tree branches provided. _Come on, hit! _She cheered-on the arrow as it soared through the air.

The silver haired knight stood on his branch unknowing of the arrow coming his way. A few seconds strolled by and a foul odor filled his nostrils. _Did something die? _He could smell the rotten egg smell as it got closer and as the smell got more intense he could start to hear an arrow cut through the air. _Shit. _Kakashi only had milliseconds to dodge the oncoming arrow.

Thanks to his fast reflexes, he managed to escape the arrow by inches. "That was too close," he said out loud and looked towards the direction the arrow came from. _Impressive Sakura. _Kakashi smirked in her direction and placed his back feet against the tree trunk while holding onto the branches above his head. He bent his knees at a 90 degree angle and as soon as he pushed off the trunk with his feet he pulled his body forward with his arms, causing his body to soar through the path Sakura's arrow came from.

_Gah, the smell! It's coming back! _Sakura's trained nose could smell the intoxicating skunk scent and before she could register Kakashi's body soaring in her direction, another soft punch forced Sakura into mid-air.

"Not again!" Sakura shouted as she grabbed onto the tree branch below, stuck out her legs and performed a full rotation around the tree branch. As soon as she reached the apex of her circle she pushed off the branch with her upper body, flipped her body to land on her feet and charged at Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled at her comment as he continued to dodge each and every punch she sent his way. "You need to be prepared for everything," he told her as he caught her fist and threw her body against another tree trunk a few feet away.

Her body hit the tree with a soft thud. Kakashi stood on his tree and watched as the heavy breathing Sakura moved her arms from out in front of her to her side. Her body began to shake as the young girl used all of her strength to pick up her bruised and worn out body into a standing position.

"Sakura, I think you should stop now, you can't take much more," Kakashi looked at the sun as the lower rim touched the top of the trees, "and it looks like you're running out of time."

The determined child shook her head, "No," she bent her knees and propelled herself into the air, causing her body to float over Kakashi's head. "I will never give up!" She shouted as she quickly grabbed the small cotton bag and an arrow. With one motion, she hurled the bag towards Kakashi's body and released one of her metal-tipped arrows to hit the center of the bag.

At the sudden impact, the bag ripped and a thick cloud of smog exploded across the area. Kakashi watched in slight amazement as Tsunade's creation masked his visibility. _Incredible, I have heard of Tsunade's talent to transform plants and herbs into a weapon. This nothing short of brilliance. _

Sakura's descending body plopped onto a higher tree branch, watching the smog wrap around her teacher. Her body screamed for her to stop, but Sakura pushed on. _I am getting those bells! _She reached into her pouch and pulled out six arrows. _Let's see you dodge this! _Her swift arm pulled back one arrow and fired into the smog cloud. The sound of the arrows penetrating the tree's branches didn't stop Sakura from rapidly firing the other arrows arrows into Kakashi's direction.

Although Kakashi could not see the arrows, his sense of hearing was impeccable. He managed to dodge the first arrow with ease, but as soon as he dodged one, more came for him. _She is kicking it into high gear. _Kakashi found himself twisting and twirling around the tree branch like a ballerina dancer. _At this rate she might actually hit me, _this thought worried him and he took the smog as the chance to run away. As he began to run, he noticed a stinging sensation in his left arm. His eye looked down to see a piece of his black long-sleeved shirt had been torn and a shallow cut replaced the missing fabric. A satisfied smile spread across his masked lips. _She actually managed to hit me. _That sudden realization that his student had progressed so far caused Kakashi's pride for his student to swell in happiness.

_Come on hit him already! _Sakura pulled out another arrow and snapped it against her string. Her eyes narrowed as the smog began to clear, however the sudden absence of a certain powerful odor caused Sakura to retract her arm and stare off towards the eastern side of the forest. _A ha! I got you now Kakashi! _Her trained nose easily detected the skunk scent that she knew had rubbed off on Kakashi. Taking a shaky breath in and out Sakura forced her body to sprint one more time and follow Kakashi to his next hiding spot.

The sun began to set lower and lower behind the western horizon. Sakura and Kakashi both noticed that their surroundings were no longer as bright as before. This worried Sakura because she realized that her time was almost up. _It can't end like this! _She pushed her lower legs to run even faster as she frog leaped to a higher position on the trees.

Kakashi could see Sakura out of the corner of his eye as he continued to run. _Time is almost up Sakura, what will you do?_

While her brain continued to send messages to her muscles to keep up the running speed, Sakura reached inside her bag to pull out her last vial. Her right arm immediately grabbed another arrow and she worked hastily to pour the liquid on the arrowhead. As soon as this was done, Sakura looked in-between the trees to see Kakashi running towards the other end of the 100 foot wide river that flowed across the forest. _It's now or never! _Sakura aimed her arrow towards the river that was swiftly approaching Kakashi's path and utilized the last of her strength to release her fingers from the bow string and arrow.

The sound of the arrow caused Kakashi to jump in midair and easily dodge the flying weapon. _She missed…that's not like Sakura. _As Kakashi watched the arrow land into the water, he looked back at the panting girl. Her chest was heaving up and down at an unusually fast rate and her speed was slowing down. _She is reaching her limit. _

When the arrow splashed into the water, Sakura decreased her speed, trying to catch her breath and stood clear of what was about to be released. Her teacher continued to run straight towards the water but as his body started to get closer to the rushing body of water a sudden translucent cloud trapped Kakashi's body.

A series of coughing fits emerged from Kakashi's mouth as he struggled to keep his body running straight. _What kind of substance is this? _His entire lungs felt like they were on fire and his body begun to shake violently, trying to eliminate the horrible gases that tickled against his esophagus and lungs.

The daylight was almost nonexistent and the sky started to slowly be covered by the black sheet of the night. Sakura could barely see Kakashi's slow body in front of her but she didn't let that stop her. _Now's my chance! _She felt her muscles in her legs begin to tear but she pushed the sharp pain, all she had was one shot. Reaching inside her quiver one last time, she slid the thin arrow over the notch, attached it to the bow string, and cocked her elbow back. Her emerald eyes caught sight of Kakashi's bag and she released her hold on the arrow. As the arrow flew through the soon to be night sky, Sakura held her breath praying to the Gods that it would somehow hit the bag.

Even in Kakashi's coughing and queasy state, he could still sense the arrow flying towards him. _I need to dodge it…_ Kakashi felt his responses within his body become delayed from the gas. Instead of moving away from the arrow as quickly as he had been before, he felt his body resist his commands. _Come on, I don't have time for this. _Kakashi groaned as the arrow's metal point cut through the air and became to become too close for his comfort. Finally, after struggling with his body, he was finally able to move just seconds before the arrow crossed Kakashi's path. As the arrow made a thud sound into the ground, Kakashi slowed down his running and turned his attention to the sky. The sun had finally vanished behind the horizon, indicating that the test had finished. "Time to head back to the camp," Kakashi called out to Sakura as he dashed off towards the training grounds that were only seventy feet away.

Sarutobi stood at the opening as nightfall graced its presence down on the training grounds. He looked into the forest, waiting to see the silver haired knight and his pink haired daughter to emerge from the forest. _I wonder how it went. _He had noticed a few smog clouds in the air and assumed that Sakura was responsible for the stunt. _Tsunade and her smoke clouds, _Sarutobi shook his head, _hopefully Kakashi didn't get affected too badly. Her creations can put someone in an eternal sleep if one isn't careful._

At the mention of his former student, the glistening of his silver hair caught Sarutobi's eye. Kakashi's spiky hair shined under the moon's glow as his tall muscular figure continued to walk towards Sarutobi. The moon followed Kakashi's form, developing an eerie shadow across his masked face. Sarutobi stood against the limestone rock and waited for Kakashi to join him. While Kakashi approached Sarutobi he felt his body begin to cough up the remaining residue in his lungs.

"I see you got hit with one of Tsunade's specialties," Sarutobi commented as the color in Kakashi's face slowly returned to normal.

"I don't know what she does, but those concoctions she gave Sakura are a real pain in the ass," Kakashi could feel his body returning back to life as the last of the dreadful gas left his lungs.

Sarutobi looked behind Kakashi, "where is Sakura?"

Kakashi turned to face the direction Sarutobi had been staring, "she was right behind me as the sun went down, she shouldn't be too far behind." His eye squinted in the distance. As the moon's brightness shined down on the entrance of the forest he saw a blur of pink walking towards them.

"How did she do?" He asked as the moon guided an exhausted looking Sakura towards her dad and mentor.

"She did very well," Kakashi held out his shallow cut to Sarutobi, "she even nicked me with her arrow."

"And those smoke clouds?" Sarutobi nearly chuckled at the irritated look Kakashi gave him.

"Tsunade should have never given Sakura those," Kakashi could still feel the after effect of that last potion.

Their conversation came to a halt as a fatigued Sakura dropped to the ground and sat on her buttocks, trying to recruit the necessary oxygen needed.

"Don't be sad about not getting the bells from me Sakura," Kakashi consoled the quiet Sakura. "You really surprised me with your skills," he held out his forearm for her to see the cut she gave him, "you even managed to hit me."

The two adults looked at each other and then back at Sakura; her quietness caused them to worry. She did not look up at them and she did not respond to Kakashi's cut. Sarutobi walked over to Sakura's sitting form and knelt down in the grass beside Sakura's shaking body, "Sakura, are you okay?" The heavy breathing child nodded her head slowly.

"She's probably tired from all of that running she did," Kakashi bent down to a crouched position and began to pick her up.

"Wait," Sakura scooted away from Kakashi's arms and proceeded to use the last of her remaining strength to stand.

"Don't push yourself Sakura, you are already exhausted, any more and your body will shut down," Sarutobi warned as he watched her body shake under the pressure.

She stood on her two feet and despite the amount of pain she was feeling, she flashed them both a smile.

"Why are you smiling?" Kakashi walked over to the girl, getting ready to catch her body in case she collapsed from overuse.

"Because!" Sakura continued to smile as she became a little bit sturdier on her feet.

"Because why?" Sarutobi asked gently as he watched her body slightly sway side-to-side.

A soft giggled escaped her lips as she reached behind her quiver, "I told you Kakashi," as Sakura continued her sentence she slowly pulled out Kakashi's brown cloth pouch and waved it around in the air, "and look! I did just that!" Her smiled grew even bigger as she watched their reactions.

"I'll be damned," Kakashi snatched the pouch out of her hand as he recollected his slightly agape mouth.

Sarutobi ran to his daughter's side and engulfed her in a warm embrace. "My Sakura," he whispered in her ear, "you did amazing," with that he picked up his petite daughter and carried her on his back.

"He, he, thanks!" Sakura said as she wrapped her arms around Sarutobi's slender neck.

"Looks like you can protect Naruto from anything," Sarutobi said as he flashed a loving smile.

"She could probably protect us from those pirates too," Kakashi was in awe that she succeeded in capturing the bells.

"Pirates?" Sakura turned her head to the other side of her father's back, "what are pirates?"

Sarutobi gave Kakashi a warning look, but Kakashi waved his hand in reassurance. "I'll tell you once you have had some rest."

"You promise?" Sakura stared Kakashi down with a glare.

Kakashi chuckled, "I promise."

After the reassurance from Kakashi, Sakura found peace and drifted off into sleep. Sarutobi stared at Kakashi as they walked through the slightly opened solid pine doors of Konoha. "I don't want you telling Sakura about pirates."

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, "what's the harm? It's not like she is going to care about them and try to find information about them. If anything she should know what they are like, that way she will never be blindsided by their trickery."

Sarutobi slowly nodded his head, "just keep the stories to a minimum." _The last thing I need is Sakura telling scary stories to Naruto or the children in her classroom. _He pictured Iruka's shocked face as Sakura told them a pirate story. _Iruka would have his hands full if that happened._

"Yes Governor," Kakashi bowed in mocking respect as he held the door open to Sarutobi's home. He watched as Sarutobi gave him a friendly nod before he shut the door. As he walked down the cobblestoned steps, Kakashi thought about the battle he had with Sakura this afternoon. _She showed exceptional skill in planning a way to trap me to in order to capture those bells. _Kakashi knew from the moment he started to train Sakura that her ability to analyze a situation was remarkable. _It almost reminds me of that man I met in the Land of Iron…what was his name…oh that's right, Kizashi. _Kakashi's mind was filled with a flashback where he worked personally with the Land of Iron to bring down a band of rouges, before pirates were known to the world. _That man had some ingenious ideas, _Kakashi thought as he ended his train of thought and sprinted towards his own home near the center of town.

As soon as Kakashi entered his home, he removed his vest and placed his weapons in their rightful places on the sword rack he kept at the foot of his bed. He tossed his gloves off of his hands and gently removed his black mask from his face. His two eyes looked over to the only framed picture he kept in his home. The knight gently lifted the crimson red picture frame at the side of his bed that possessed a picture of him, Sakura, and Naruto. The happy smiles present across their faces caused Kakashi to run his large thumb over the portrait. _These kids…they will do something great one day. _He gently placed the picture down and flopped on top in his feather-stuffed bed.

"Now, for a much needed sleep." Kakashi flopped on his stomach and closed his eyes. _What a day. _With that final thought, the copy-cat Knight drifted off into a dream filled with Ichi Ichi Paradise's main characters in his own version of how the story will end.

* * *

To

Be

Continued


	3. Discovery

**Author's Note**: I'm glad to see that everyone is enjoying the story! I apologize for the delay; I have been very busy and it has prevented me from posting this chapter. I made the chapter a little bit longer to make up for the long wait.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

"_I'll take that book," she pointed to the light brown tattered spine that rested, isolated, on its own self._

_The merchant eyed the small 13 year old pink-haired girl with confusion. He turned to the lonely book and roughly pulled it from the dust-covered self, "this thing?" He rotated the title-less brown book with maggot-bitten holes that decorated the very edges of the cover. _This useless thing has been here since I opened this shop,_ he thought to himself as he stared at the young girl standing on the other side of his pinewood desk. _

_She stood at the other end of the table, one hand held the tight linen rope that rested against her shoulder while the other hand grabbed a small hickory arrow and began to tap the stone tip against his table. The merchant narrowed his eyes as the young girl stood in his shop, unaware of the dangerous people that continued to eye her innocent physique. _Maybe I can swindle this naïve girl,_ he thought as a sickening smile spread across his face, revealing his remaining four golden teeth._

"_Twenty gold," he told her as he leaned his dirty elbows against the table and waved the fragile book back and forth against the air._

"Not many people know what that book is,"_ Sakura thought to herself as she met eyes the smiling merchant. Her determined emerald eyes didn't waver as she held his stare with matched determination._

"_Twelve gold," she said._

"_Ho, ho," the merchant slammed the book down on the table as his smile grew wider. "Do you even know what this book is little girl?" His darkening brown eyes continued to evaluate the unmoving girl as he jumped over the table and stood within arm's reach. _She will reconsider her price now,_ he thought with a mental grin as he reached inside his knee-long brown leather coat and revealed a jagged seven-inch long iron blade. "20 gold," he restated while he moved the ice-cold knife and placed it against the right side of her red dress towards the midline of her body._

Is this guy serious?_ Sakura's determined eyes watched as the grungy man placed his weapon against her favorite dress. She pivoted sideways to face the merchant; her eyes trailed down to the knife that still threatened to stab her, and then returned her attention to the nearly toothless smiling man. _

"_Do we have a deal?" He snickered as he waited to see fear in her eyes._

_Sakura said nothing as a bright smile appeared across her face. "12 gold or no gold," she told him as she grabbed the arm holding the knife and placed her right thumb against the inside of his elbow._

"_20 gold little girl, and that's final." The merchant glared at the stubborn girl, not intimidated by her sudden touch._

This little girl is…_ Before the merchant could complete his thought a shooting pain circuited through his entire arm, causing him to release his menacing knife. The iron clanged against the cobblestone ground, its sound reached their ears as the air thickened. "What the hell?" He bellowed as he took several quick steps away from the girl, making sure to cradle his arm with his other hand. _

"_What the fuck did you do you twit!" He screamed at her as he tried to wiggle his unresponsive fingers._

"_Twit?" Sakura raised a well-groomed pink eyebrow as she flashed the merchant another innocent smile. "Ha, ha, I have never been called that before!" She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed the eight by eleven inch book off the table. Sakura reached into her quiver and pulled out a small cotton sac, "here you go Mr. Merchant, twelve gold just like I promised. Thank you!" She finished as she lightly placed the sac on his table and walked out of the small shop, leaving the flabbergasted merchant behind._

* * *

"_Finally I tracked you down!" Sakura told the book as she ran her left hand over the aged cover. _Who would have thought that Zabuza was right?_ A satisfied smile spilled across her face as she fanned through the object of her affection. _I can't wait to read all about them,_ she looked to the dark night sky and nodded towards the full moon, _I'll have to thank Kakashi for telling me about these pirates,_ she thought to herself as she began to skip through the crowded Black Market._

"_Hey there little gir' wanna come home with me?" A man, dressed in only brown leather pants, with an iron chain belt wrapped around his waist, called out to Sakura. Attached to his studded belt were three different types of copper spiked maces that hung loosely against his wide hips. His towering figure looked down at the cheerful Sakura with scheming eyes as his callused hands continued to juggle nunchucks that possessed razor-sharp spikes, casted in bronze-metal that gleamed in the moonlight._

"_Oh," Sakura stopped skipping and bowed towards the six foot tall man, "sorry sir but not today. Thank you though!" Her eyes momentarily stared at the glistening nunchucks before she skipped off towards the only exit and entrance of the secret gathering. _

_The man stood dumbfounded by the girl's response. "What the hell?" He scratched the back of his head as he watched other men, carrying death-dealing weapons, try to entice the naïve girl towards them. _What's a girl doing in the Black Market anyway?_ At first he took a moment to assess the odd appearance of the young child but shrugged his shoulders and continued on with investigating the market for new illegal maces._

"_Finally!" Sakura turned towards the sinister alleyway she had emerged from and stared in the shadows at the well-hidden, highly illegal, Black Market. _If another guy asked me to come home with them I was going to slam my book on their head! _Sakura shouted at herself as her temper began to rise. _Deep breath Sakura, deep breaths, do what Tsunade taught you,_ and within seconds Sakura's temper had receded. _

_She turned her back to the secret alleyway and began to walk towards the center of Konoha. _I better get home soon. Dad will know I'm missing. _Sakura lengthened her stride and allowed the full moon to illuminate a path for her to follow back towards her home._

_Her agile feet carried her through the city, making her nimble body slip in and out of the small stoned paths that littered Konoha. Her mind effortlessly instructed her body to turn down familiar streets, her mind taking a moment to stare at the iron gated community where the Hyuuga's lived, before she sprinted towards the wooded area that protected her country. While she sprinted towards the forest, a strong scent of blood and fire entered her nostrils. _Where is that coming from?_ She stopped running towards the forest and sprinted down one of the longest street paths of Konoha. Her muscles began to tense as the smell of blood grew stronger and the sound of ear-piercing screams echoed in her ears._

I need to be careful,_ she told herself as she came face-to-face with another gated community. Her emerald eyes stared at the menacing black clouds that hovered around the area. _I have to see what's going on! _Sakura turned her back on the iron gate and ran towards one of the brick-made homes that resided eighty feet away from the gated area. _

_With all of her training from one of the most elite knights in Konoha, Sakura effortlessly climbed the home and firmly planted her feet on top of the wooden roof. She turned her attention to community that was covered in flames. _What the…_ she stood on top of the roof, speechless, as she watched a black blur soar across the small pathways. Bodies began to drop to the ground as the blur sprinted off into another direction. _

_Having the desire to see more of the destruction, Sakura looked around her surroundings to find a possible entry-way. _Maybe down this way, _Sakura took off running towards the east, flying through the air, and slamming on the neighboring rooftop. She continued to circle around the segregated collection of homes, searching for a way to jump over the stoned wall without placing herself in the middle of the massive bloodshed, and the longer she threw herself against rooftops the more she started to realize that the screaming had stopped._

_A sudden rustling of the forest caused Sakura to freeze in her position. _Crap,_ the anxious girl crouched down low, pulled out her bow and arrow, and attached the awaiting weapon to the linen rope. Her calculating eyes scanned her surroundings, left, right, behind, and above but she could not find any indication that someone was near. Suddenly, a softer sound came from the forest, causing Sakura to put her bow back around her shoulder and her arrow back into the quiver. _I wonder,_ Sakura climbed off of the rooftop and entered the forest. Her nose quickly identified the scent of fire and death and she began to soundlessly maneuver her way towards the smell._

Just a little closer,_ Sakura encouraged herself as the smell intensified. _Maybe working with Tsunade's potions were not the best idea,_ Sakura held her sensitive nose with her thumb and pointer finger. _Who is that?_ Her attention suddenly changed when her eyes caught sight of a person's back. _I need to hide; _she quietly slid her body into a nearby bush, praying that the mysterious person did not sense her presence._

_As soundlessly as possible, Sakura pushed a few leaves out of her line of sight, her curious pea green eyes watched as a black-clothed person stood in the middle of the small forest opening. _What are they doing? _She found herself unable to remove her gaze from the mysterious individual before her. _

_The black-clothed person stood with their back towards Sakura, staring off into the direction of the gated community. The mysterious being stood in the mix of the darkness provided by the shadows of the trees and the light that shined from the moon, frozen from their current location. Sakura found her body automatically inching closer to the human, her burning desire to know what was going on grew more and more as the seconds passed._

"_Come out," the mysterious person stated smoothly._

I was so quiet! How could they have heard me?_ Sakura's eyes began to widen as the statement hung in the air. She sighed and slightly smiled at her predicament, _I guess there is no turning back now,_ she though with excitement._

"_I didn't think you heard me," Sakura said as she walked through her hiding spot and stood thirty feet away from the mysterious person before her. "Who are you?" Sakura asked._

_The mysterious human said nothing to her response. _A girl?_ The black-clothed human recognized the higher octave voice and against their better judgment, the human quickly turned around to face the sudden intruder._

_Emerald clashed against crimson red. Sakura stood as still as stone as she tried to take in the full appearance of the person before her, but the opaque lighting around his face made it difficult. She took a step closer, while narrowing her eyes, and raised her hand, "come closer," Sakura ordered._

Who is this girl?_ The mysterious person thought as they made no indication of responding to her request._

_Sakura noticed this and shook her head, "fine if you don't come here, then I'll just come to you."_

_As the sudden change of rules, the mysterious human took a step closer. _I will not allow this girl to have control. I don't need another fan girl following me, not while the plan is in motion.

_Sakura smiled as she watched the human's body bathe in the moon light. _So this must be that black blur I was seeing, _she concluded. Her curious eyes analyzed the black leather boots that had small miniscule spots of crimson red blood, with the sudden discovery Sakura found her eyes slowly scaling up the person's body. Their long black skin-tight breeches started to hug their slim calves and thighs, the once small spots of red began to increase in size and frequency, and soon the pink-haired teen's eyes came to an abrupt stop. _Oh my god,_ right in the middle of the person's skin-hugging black shorts sleeves shirt was a colossal smear of blood. The mix between the dark shade of black and the dripping wet blood caused the shirt to sag, causing bare skin to be revealed. _

"_Leave," a slightly deeper tone emitted from the person's mouth as they watched her study the blood stained body. They could feel her staring at the massive amounts of blood that had collected on the front of the shirt. _Good, she will go away.

"_Uh…" Sakura looked away from the pool of blood and moved her eyes towards their slender arms. _So he is a boy, _Sakura concluded. The dried blood coated the person's fingers, palms, and forearm, where the thick trail of blood stopped at his bony elbow. Sakura found her eyes traveling towards his neck and face, where droplets of scarlet red scattered across his skin. _

_Unconsciously Sakura took another step forward as her vision drifted from his small flawless neck towards the start of his face. She stared as the soft summer breeze touched upon his ivory skin, the strong outline of his jaw bone never shifted as her eyes studied his wrinkle-free heart-shaped face before meeting his emotionless crimson red eyes. "So you're the one that set that housing complex on fire…"_

_The young man stood his ground. _There is nothing keeping me here,_ even though he could easily slip away and disappear into the forest he found himself slightly intrigued by her. _She sees the amount of blood I'm covered in and yet she moves closer. Normal people shutter away from the sight of blood.

_Her emerald eyes probed his blood red colored orbs as she waited to see a reaction elicit from the young man. _He looks like he's my age._ Sakura turned her head to the side and studied his facial features a little longer. The skin around his eyes was tight and the corners of his expressionless mouth did not possess any age marks. She looked down at the brown book she had been tracking down for months and then stared back at the unmoving boy. _

"_Judging by your lack of emotions, I'm assuming whatever you did isn't good." _

_His body slightly tensed as she raised her right hand and extended the older book into his personal space. _She is giving me a book…to help me escape…she doesn't even know me…_ Every action she committed made the young boy irritated. _

"_Although this book took me a couple months to find in the Black Market, I think you need it more than I do," she flicked her wrist and caused the book to push a small wave of air towards his revealed bare skin. "It lists every single pirate group sailing the seas. You might want to disappear and become one."_

_Wordlessly, the young boy took the book, his eyes never left hers. _It goes against my better judgment to take this…but I'll need some type of lead to find the Akatsuki.

"_Well, I'll let you go then!" Sakura flashed him a pearly white smile as she spun around on her sandal's heel, causing her long pink hair to sway sideways across her back._

"_Who are you?" His eyes narrowed as he stared at her pink hair. _No one in Konoha has pink hair.

_Sakura turned her body to the side and stuck her tongue out, "sorry, my Dad told me to never give my name to strangers." Without looking back at the silent boy, Sakura turned her back to him once more and took a step towards the path she came from. _

_However, she was only able to walk a few feet before the blood covered male stood in her path. She gracefully came to a halt and waited to see what he would do. The young boy grabbed her arm; his bleeding-red eyes stared into her dark emerald eyes as his grip began to tighten around her arm. "Wake up," he said._

"_What?" Sakura stood her ground as she raked her brain trying to understand his confusing order._

"_Wake up!" The boy's voice screamed louder this time, but it was no longer the low emotionless tone that she was used to hearing, instead, it transformed into a higher pitched tone that held a sense of urgency._

"_WAKE UP!" The sudden shout echoed through the forest. Both of his hands grabbed onto her arms and started to shake her violently._

* * *

"WAKE UP SIS!" A young boy's voice shouted towards the sleeping Sakura's face. His small body straddled her sleeping form as his petite hands grabbed the tops of her shoulders and began to shake her. "Come on Sis!"

The violent shaking caused his sister's body to begin moving side-to-side underneath him and abruptly her eyes opened. Her emerald eyes met wide cerulean blue as they stared her down, waiting for her to respond.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura's raspy voice filled the room as she rubbed her eyes trying to banish the troublesome eye crusts that resided in the corner of her eyes.

"Sarutobi is making ramen for breakfast! Hurry up!" His energetic body bounced up and down on Sakura's stomach, trying to convince Sakura to get out of her queen-sized bed.

"How can I get up if you're on me Naruto?" Sakura giggled as the young boy stopped his bouncing, his eyes widened even more before he withdrew his body and throw himself to the opposite side of Sakura's bed.

"Sorry Sis!" Naruto rose to his knees and flashed his typical cheesy smile, "you're coming right?"

Sakura sat up in her bed and nodded her head, "I'll be right down."

"YAHOO!" Naruto stood on top of her mattress and launched himself into the air, securely landing on his feet, and began to sprint down the long hallway.

Sakura felt a small smile appear as she watched her adoptive brother sprint downstairs. _Only Naruto, _she told herself as she gently pulled back her navy blue silk blanket and placed her petite feet on the cool cherry wooden floors. The young woman sat at the edge of her bed as she absentmindedly stared out of her fifteen foot long window that overlooked the forest. _That dream…I haven't dreamt about that night in over a year. _Sakura placed her hands on the side of her body and lifted her small frame off the feather-filled bed.

Soundlessly, Sakura walked away from her bed and towards the closed-in area on the other side of her forty-foot room. _I wonder what ever happened to that strange boy in the woods. He definitely wasn't like the typical school boys in my class. _Her fingers subconsciously traveled down to the yellow gold pendant that rested against her neck as she opened a light blue painted door to reveal a smaller room that stored various dresses, shoes, pants, and shirts. _I have never seen anyone with eyes like his, the red in his eyes…it was intense…it was almost like he could see right through me. _She entered the small room and began scanning the long isle of clothing that filled both sides. Her hands lightly brushed against the simple colored dresses before her hand grabbed a gold satin gown. _Oh well, I better hurry and get dressed before Naruto comes running back in here, _she thought with a giggle as she grabbed a pair of small heeled leather shoes and her white undergarments.

She walked back over to the giant window and gingerly placed her clothing on her favorite side of the bed. _Maybe this time I can get Zabuza to take Naruto and me on an adventure. _Effortlessly, Sakura untied the corset-like design on the back of her white cotton nightgown and the clothing fluttered into a pool around her feet.

The sun's rays shined through the window, shining down on Sakura's purplish red diamond that was guarded by the yellow gold octagon-shaped pendant. The sudden change of light caused a collection of colors to shine against the painted teal walls. Sakura watched as a rainbow of colors that ranged from bright red to deep purple scattered across her walls. Without looking away from the vibrant colored wall, she grabbed her undergarments and covered her most sacred woman body parts. _It's funny…sometimes these specs of light from this diamond look like a picture. _Sakura stood in front of the wall, staring at the illumination before her. She turned her head to the side in hopes of trying to figure out exactly what was outlined on her wall. _Oh don't be silly Sakura, it's just the sun's trick _she told herself as she turned her back on the teal colored wall and swiftly grabbed the golden dress.

"Sis come on! You're taking forever!" Naruto's booming voice traveled up the stairs and towards Sakura's closed door.

"I'll be right down!" Sakura shouted with as equal amount of sound. She quickly untied the corset back and slipped into the figure-emphasizing dress. The golden sleeves hugged against her toned upper arms, stopping right before her elbow, while the corset body was tightening against her slim stomach. With years of practice, Sakura blindly tied the golden silk lace that crisscrossed against her back, causing the corset to become secure around her waist. In another fluid motion, Sakura grabbed her heeled leather shoes and slipped them onto her feet, the small additional height caused the long dress to just skim the bottom of the floor. She looked down at the stitching embroidery that outlined an intricate swirl design around her mid-section and fanned towards her well-displayed breasts. _Sometimes I wish I could just wear my training clothes around town. _She watched as the slightly flared dress took up more space than she liked. _But then I would really make Dad look bad. _With a shake of her bubblegum pink shoulder-length hair she easily slipped out of her room and down the stairs towards the kitchen.

An over-excited Naruto jumped off a barstool and flung himself against Sakura's body, giving her the biggest hug possible, "finally!"

"I'm sorry Naruto. I didn't mean to take so long. You caught me off-guard," Sakura answered as she encircled her arms around him and tightened her embrace.

"You normally do not sleep this late Sakura," Sarutobi interjected as he placed a pile of ramen on top of Naruto's plate. "Everything okay?" Sarutobi stood on the other side of the bar staring at his daughter with a curious gaze.

"Oh yeah," she rubbed the back of her head as Naruto pulled her to the stool right next to him. "I was just enjoying my dream," she tried to extinguish her father's curiosity.

"It wasn't about Pirates again was it?" Sarutobi asked with a deep huff. _I told Kakashi that he shouldn't have filled her head with all of those pirate stories. _Ever since Sakura heard about pirates, Sarutobi would find her in his office, reading government documents that pertained to any pirate activities on their eastern waters.

Before Sakura could answer her father's question, a calm yet assertive knock echoed through their home. Sarutobi placed the iron pan on the high granite counter and gracefully walked to the gigantic front doors. Sakura watched her father's footsteps even after they disappeared from her sight. She looked to Naruto to see him already indulging himself in the tower of ramen that Sarutobi placed on his plate only seconds ago.

_I wonder what it's about. _Sakura stepped down from the barstool, soundlessly stepped away from the kitchen, down the elaborate red painted walls, and stood at the junction between the hallway and the overly large foyer. Her body flung against the wall, in hopes that her father wouldn't be able to notice her presence.

"Governor," a man covered in red breeches and a white long-sleeved shirt covered by a green overcoat bowed towards his superior.

"Why are you at my doorstep?" Sarutobi asked as he motioned for the official messenger to stand straight.

The man with golden eyes stared at the important governor and reached down into his cotton one-strap bag. "News about Akatsuki," the man said as he pulled a scroll tied with a rustic sand colored ribbon preventing the scroll from exposing its important context to the world.

Sarutobi never looked away from the messenger as he quickly took the scroll and tucked it away underneath his large red overcoat that reached just before the floor. "I expect this to be good news?" He asked.

The messenger made no expression, "unfortunately, there is good news and bad news. Tsunade has requested that you come to the tower immediately."

"Of course," Sarutobi nodded his head to the professional messenger and gently shut the door after the man sprinted off towards his next destination. As soon as he closed the doors he could sense his very curious daughter hiding amongst the shadows. _Oh Sakura, will this curiosity ever end?_

Sakura pressed her body against the wall even more as soon as she saw Sarutobi's attention turn from the door to the hallway. _Tsunade is back in town? It has been a couple months since I have seen her! _The excitement she felt for the arrival of her mentor caused Sakura to almost forget about the real information that caught her attention. _What is the Akatsuki doing? Last time Dad got a report about them, they were just floating around Iwagakure the stone country. What could they be up to? _

"I know you're there Sakura, you can't hide from your father," Sarutobi stated in a calm voice as his high-ankle leather boots tapped against the wooden floor as he walked towards the hallway.

_I can never catch him by surprise! _Sakura thought with an annoyed sigh before she pushed herself away from the wall and revealed herself to her father. "You know me too well," she commented as she rubbed the back of her head.

"You will take Naruto into town today," he ordered as he lead Sakura back to the kitchen were an eating Naruto still remained. Sakura looked away from her father and studied her younger brother as he gulped down the last mouthful of noodles.

"Why are you guys standing?" Naruto asked as he placed down his chopsticks and turned his body around on the stool, staring into the eyes of his family.

"Uh…well you see Naruto…"

"I have been called upon to return to my office. Sakura will be taking you around town today," Sarutobi interrupted Sakura as he gave Naruto a small nod. "Be good for Sakura."

Naruto's back straightened and his two hands gripped the edge of the stool as he gave Sarutobi an appalled look. "I'm always good for Sis!" He shouted, unable to fully comprehend why Sarutobi added such a comment.

"Really?" Sarutobi walked over to Naruto and placed his wrinkled hand on the boy's left shoulder, "so that wasn't you who jumped around the stone faces of Konoha with red paint? I believe Sakura was the person in charge of that child."

At the mention of Naruto's bold stunt, Sakura and Naruto both shivered as memories of that horrid day replayed in their minds. Sakura watched with a heavy heart as Naruto's face fell in disappointment. Naruto remembered that very vivid day and the moment that action was completed he wished he could take it back. His cerulean blue eyes peaked up every now and again, staring at his older sister as the memory continued to play over and over in his mind. _I never saw Sarutobi yell at Sis that much. Sis didn't tell Sarutobi that it was me. Stupid Kiba, he said it would have been a funny idea. _The night of the prank, Naruto found himself following a quiet Sakura all around the house, afraid to leave her side because of all of the trouble he had caused.

Sarutobi took the silence as an agreement to his statement. He patted Naruto on the shoulder before he turned his body to Sakura's direction and began to walk towards the red painted hallway. "I expect the two of you not to cause trouble," he added as he passed by Sakura and exited the home. _With the sudden activity that Akatsuki has shown, it would do no good to have my children causing my army even more trouble. I need my soldiers to be as alert as possible._

Sakura slowly walked over to Naruto's slouched body and placed her two hands on both of his shoulders, "don't worry about it Naruto!" She said cheerfully, hoping to extinguish the sour mood her father placed him under.

"But…I got you in trouble…" Naruto whispered softly as he slowly raised his head to stare into the loving eyes of the only person he adored.

"Naruto, if you knew of half of the stunts I pulled when I was your age you would realize that what you did to the stone faces is nothing in comparison," she finished with a optimistic smile and a quick squeeze of his shoulders to add reassurance to her statement. "I can handle Dad's screams, don't you worry about that," she finished with a wink.

Naruto slowly nodded his head as her words circled around his mind. _What did Sis do that was worse than me? _"What did you do?" He asked as his eyes grew wide as his mind tried to picture a younger Sakura participating in the same shenanigan stunt he committed several weeks ago.

"He, he, maybe I'll tell you when you're older. Dad would kill me if I gave you any ideas," Sakura watched with happiness as Naruto sprang back to life.

"Awe man, come on!" His hands rolled into fists as he placed them in front of his body, "I can handle anything you throw at me."

Sakura shook her head and walked to the other side of the bar, "I'll tell you what…if you finish this whole pan of ramen we can go run around a surprise part of town."

The sound of the last batch of ramen plopping against the porcelain white china dish echoed in the kitchen before the thuds of Naruto violently shoveling the food into his wide open mouth filled the room. Sakura took a step back to avoid the smaller noodles that were defenseless against Naruto's animalistic eating and grabbed a fresh apple that sat against the bay window behind her. Naruto inhaled his food in record-breaking time. He placed his chopsticks on the side of his dish and flashed Sakura the perkiest smile.

"Alright! All done!" He shouted as he flashed a thumbs-up as she took his plate away.

"Now, if you get dressed fast enough, we might be able to catch all the crazy sailors coming in from sea!" Sakura encouraged, revealing the secret place she was going to show him.

"No…way…" Naruto stood frozen on his stool for a few seconds, his wide eyes grew wider at the realization that Sakura and he were about to embark to a location their father would never allow them to explore. "Okay!" He flung himself off of his barstool and flailed down the hallway, tripping and sliding across the freshly polished floors towards the staircase that would lead Naruto to his room.

Within minutes, Naruto was dressed in his typical orange short sleeved shirt, black breeches, wooden sandals, and a small white overcoat that rested on top of his favorite vibrant colored shirt. He wasted no time and slid down the stairs on the arm of the banister.

Sakura waited at the bottom of the staircase, watching Naruto's act with experienced eyes. _I remember when I taught him how to do that. _The memory of Sarutobi scolding her and revoking her privilege to train with Tsunade for the next two weeks flashed in her mind. _It was well worth the punishment. I made sure Naruto didn't do that trick without me there. Some tricks can never die. _She thought with a smile while she remembered Sarutobi trying to banish that very same trick from her arsenal of daring stunts.

"I'm ready to go!" Naruto called out as he reached the end of the banister and jumped off the edge just before the giant metal ball, which stood at the beginning of the banister, could knock him off.

"Okay!" Sakura matched his enthusiasm as she extended her hand for the seven year old to grab. "Now remember Naruto, we have to blend in," an overly excited sixteen year old Sakura instructed him as they exited their home and made their way towards the southern end of Konoha.

* * *

As they walked through the chaotic center of town, Sakura held Naruto close while numerous merchants approached them and began to entice them with various items. Every time a merchant would begin talking to Sakura, she would politely excuse her and Naruto from their presence. As they continued to walk deeper into the town square, the chaos increased. People ran from all directions of the square, screaming about making a deadline, while others were hastily walking to merchants haggle certain items for food. Sakura watched the collection of people run about their daily routine through the city until a persistent merchant from the shop they just passed jumped in front of them, cutting off the path she was following.

"A diamond for a pretty lady?" The merchant hissed out as he shined a glistening red ruby into the sunlight, nearly blinding Naruto.

"Come on mister!" Naruto groaned as he averted his eyes away from the reflection of the intense sunlight.

The ivory-colored man squatted down and continued to shine the quarter-sized gem in front of Naruto, causing the sun the show-off a less intense sparkle that Naruto did not notice before. "Don't you think this beautiful piece of stone belongs with this beautiful lady?" The man tried to con Naruto as he tossed the stone back and forth between his two hands, trying to hypnotize the young naïve ten year old.

"Uh…" Naruto found himself watching the twinkling ruby shine around his feet against the cobblestone road. _Maybe Sis does need something like that…_Naruto looked back at Sakura and then back to the ruby.

"Well?" The man flashed the young boy a cunning white smile. _Just another push and he will be like putty in my hands._

Naruto slowly reached his hand out towards the gem, "su…"

"Sorry Sir, but we are in a hurry. Thank you, but we are not interested," Sakura stopped Naruto's advancement by grabbing his hand and gently pushing him past the merchant.

"Wait! Come back! I see, you're more of a sapphire woman, I have more than just that ruby!" He explained as he tried to follow them through the crowd.

Sakura slightly bowed to the man before she expertly utilized the passing crowd. From the merchant's outburst, a sea of women overheard about his extensive collection. "Stay close Naruto," Sakura told him as she grasped his hand a little tighter as the herd of women stampeded towards the unaware man. Naruto watched with confusion as he heard women screaming and swearing, racing towards the man's shop.

_These women are crazy. _Naruto continued to watch them as some dived over the shop, while others began to fight for loose gems that escaped their grasp.

_What a perfect distraction, _Sakura gently guided Naruto around the remaining stragglers of the fearsome crowd and leisurely walked towards the south end of Konoha.

"Hey Sis, how come you didn't want that ruby?" Naruto asked while he put some space between him and Sakura. _I don't want these guys thinking I can't take care of myself. _Naruto could see different townsmen from the corner of his eye.

Sakura giggled as she watched Naruto's face battle between anger and confidence. _He is a rollercoaster of emotions today. _Gently, she placed her left hand on top of his glossy spiked golden locks, "because that man was going to take all of your money."

"Huh?" Naruto stopped walking and stared at her as confusion washed across his young tan oval shaped face.

The sudden halt caused Sakura to turn to her side. _That's right…Naruto doesn't know what merchants will do to make money. _She looked down and removed her hand from the top of his head, "you see Naruto, that man will sell you anything to make money. He uses the money to support his family, just like Dad does for us. That ruby in his hand was either a fake or stolen." She paused to see Naruto nodding his head.

"Why do they sell something fake? That's lying to people…that's wrong,"

The naïve mind of Naruto caused Sakura to squat down and bring him into a tight embrace, "people do what they need to do to survive Naruto. It's just how life is." She could feel his head nod underneath her embrace as he returned her hug.

"How do you know this stuff?" Naruto asked as they separated and continued walking down the quiet path towards the ocean.

"Uh…" Sakura found herself rubbing the back of her neck. _Oh boy, how do I answer this? _"I…I have seen it happen a few times," she lied. _The Black Market is full of scammers. The very first time I shopped there, a man took all of my money. _Sakura could feel her anger slightly rise as she remembered the encounter years ago. _He told me the book he gave me had valuable information about pirates…yeah right…all that was in that book was blank pages with nothing written. _Before Sakura smashed a hole through a piece of wooden furniture, Naruto's stunned voice disrupted her thought.

"Where!" Naruto asked with eagerness in his voice. _How does Sis remember everything? _Naruto couldn't remember a time when Sakura forgot any type of information. _She's got a giant book in her head!_

_Do I tell him? I might get in huge trouble if Naruto slips my secret out to Dad. _Then again, Sakura couldn't think of a time when Naruto ever revealed an important secret to their father. _But then again…_ She looked down at her curious brother and felt a twinge of guilt shoot through her stomach. _I always got mad when no one told me anything…it would be wrong to do the same thing to Naruto. _A quick exhale fluttered out of Sakura's slightly opened mouth before she spoke, "you really want to know?"

"Believe it!" Naruto shouted with his typical cheesy grin.

Brilliant green eyes stared deep into his glistening cerulean blue orbs, "can you keep a secret?" She said with importance.

"You bet I can!" Naruto took a step closer to Sakura eager to hear the secret.

"Ok, but this stays between you and me, you got that?" A slightly stern face swept across her face.

"Come on Sis! You don't trust me?" He stared at her with a gaping mouth and pleading eyes. _She has to trust me!_

A light giggled was Naruto's answer as Sakura nodded her head, "okay, okay!" She waddled closer to Naruto and placed her light pink lips inches away from his small ear. "I've seen it happen at the Black Market." She quickly pulled away to watch his reaction to her statement.

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled out as he stared at his sister with unbelievable eyes, "but Sis, Sarutobi says that place doesn't exist," his voiced decreased in volume when Sakura motioned for him to keep his voice down.

"Dad only tells you that so you don't go wandering around looking for it. That's why it's a secret Naruto," she said with a wink.

At the mention of a secret, Naruto quickly slapped his hands over his opened mouth. His sapphire blue eyes moved left and right just to make sure that no one overheard his outburst. Once he felt that no one was watching him, he removed his hands from his mouth, stuck out his chest, and gave Sakura a curt nod. "Your secret is safe with me Sis!" He exclaimed as he tried to keep his diaphragm raised, but his need for oxygen outweighed his desire to look tough, and his chest quickly deflated.

Sakura lightly giggled at Naruto's actions, "thanks Naruto, you're the only person that knows about it." Sakura smiled radiantly when Naruto started to jump up and down in the air. Suddenly, a booming sound echoed around them, the magnitude of the boom caused Sakura and Naruto to sway back and forth. They found themselves stepping backwards to keep their balance from the magnitude of the blast.

"What was that?!" Naruto managed to stop his body from swaying and began to look around for the source that managed to make the ground shake.

"It's the sound of their arrival Naruto!" Sakura shouted with enthusiasm. "Come on! We have to move quickly if we want to see them in action!" The young boy didn't get a chance to fully recover from the bone-shaking explosion for his animated sister grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the very place were all of Konoha's sailors, government affiliated or not, gathered to empty their ships and begin a new journey out to sea.

As Sakura pulled Naruto towards the coast line, he couldn't help but continue to think about his older sister running around the Black Market. He had never heard much about the market except for what Iruka tells him in class. _It's a myth Mr. Iruka says it was a place for something. _The young forgetful boy racked his brain for what Iruka said in class, but to his dismay he could not remember. _Whatever! All I remember is that Iruka said people are scared by it. But why? _The idea that his sister had gone several times to a place of myth was causing him to itch for the chance to see exactly what Iruka was too afraid to tell them. _I won't be scared like those people in Iruka's stories! _He mentally decided that he would go to the Black Market one day and see why Iruka said it didn't exist.

* * *

They sprinted towards the coast line, following the smell of the salty sea that would lead them to the always hectic Konoha marina. The marina of Konoha was not like the rest of the country, it was hidden from its citizens to avoid any casualties between civilians and sailors. The harbor was hidden behind the highly recognizable stonewall that supported the engravings of the three great Hokage's of Konoha. As they reached the far right side of the infamous Hokage display, Sakura pulled a few tree branches back to reveal a hidden path within the Konoha forest.

"Step right this way Naruto," Sakura held the tree branches back as she waved her free hand to the forest that was waiting for them.

"Alright, watch out sailors here we come!" With new found excitement, Naruto threw his fist into the air and sprinted into the forest.

"You got that right!" Sakura waited until Naruto had ran past her before she held the branches away from her body and slipped into the forest.

The forest path was full of palm trees and shrubbery that provided a thick shade to hide Naruto and Sakura from the blazing sun that hung high in the sky. They easily danced around the overgrown shrubberies that covered the dirt path. Naruto jumped on top of the bushes fighting with the plants, with Sakura's assistance, to make sure the foliage allowed them to pass through the barrier it placed between them and the marina.

"We must destroy the plants that block our path," Naruto ordered. He reached down on the ground and placed a strange leaf on the top of his head. The olive green leaf covered to top of Naruto's head, the two halves of the leaf met at the middle and the stem created a slight point. He fumbled with the leaf to get it in the right position before he pointed his right hand towards the twelve inch tall slim plants that rested on the side of the giant lime green three foot tall plant that stood in the middle of their path.

"Yes sir," Sakura played along with Naruto's adventure. Her leather heels carried her towards the small plants as she gently held back the fragile vegetation. Eager emerald eyes looked back to see Naruto scrapping his foot against the dirt while another leg was stretched out in front of his body.

"Ready…set…go!" Naruto counted down. His right foot stayed firmly planted on the forest ground while his left foot pushed off and took the first step towards the enemy. _I'm knocking that plant thing down. _The pace of Naruto's sprint increased as he continued to get closer to the object that would receive his brute force. "Ahh!" a loud battle cry escaped Naruto's throat as his legs pushed his body into the giant vegetation. A mix of orange, green, white, and yellow was all Sakura could see as the small boy's body tackled the unsuspecting plant and sank it to the ground.

"Naruto?" Worried eyes watched Naruto's unmoving body as it laid face first on top of the weighted down plant.

"Mmhm," a small muffle of words was all that was heard.

"You want some help?" The still standing Sakura effortlessly jumped over his laying body and bent over getting ready to pick up her brother. _Sometimes he doesn't truly think everything through, _her hands waited patiently above his body while she scanned his body for any injuries. _And yet he never gets injured._

"Yahoo!" The sudden scream caused Sakura to back away from Naruto. The small young lad pushed off the ground and hopped to his feet. Blazing azure eyes beamed towards his awaiting sister with pride, "told you I'd handle the threat," he finished as he stepped off of the plant and watched as the plant remained limp on the ground.

"You never disappoint," Sakura pulled his body with her arm, placed her knuckles on the top of his head, and gently rubbed his scalp.

"Oh man, come on Sis! Do you have to do that?" Naruto fussed around in her hold until she let go.

"He, he, sorry," she answered while Naruto pulled his vest back into place and made sure his orange shirt was still intact.

_She always tries to do that, _he thought with slight annoyance. _Are we there yet? _Curious eyes traveled from the ground to the path in front of them. Silently, his small feet took a few steps forward wanting to see what was on the other side of the six foot tall wall of grass that stood in front of him.

"We're here Naruto," Sakura answered his unasked question as she walked past him and separated both sides of the obnoxiously tall grass.

Wordlessly, Naruto followed Sakura's lead as she pushed past the slightly thick grass. As soon as they cleared the maze, the smell of the salt water intensified. With anticipation flowing through his veins, Naruto looked into the horizon, his mouth slowly dropped in surprise at the sudden change of surroundings.

The shape of Konoha that Naruto once knew had abruptly changed. It was no longer the forest-thriving area in which he grew up with, instead, the land slowly stretched into a long peninsula, wrapping around the ocean that surrounded the entire east side of Konoha. The orange-yellow sun shined brilliantly over the ocean water, as if it was presenting this new territory to Naruto's amazed eyes.

"Let's go!" Naruto shouted and proceeded to sprint towards the giant wooden boats, casted in iron, which rose and sank every time the ocean's waves rolled into port.

Within a mile down the peninsula, the rough dirt path that rested under their feet turned into silky soft sand. They walked further down the point, watching as other sailors worked feverously on carrying crates from one location to another. Soon, the soft sand they had grown to enjoy subsided and was replaced with dark red cedar wooden planks. The dark brown planks possessed a slight cherry colored tint every time the sun's rays brushed across its surface. Suddenly, the small amount of planks transformed into an enormously large boardwalk, where wooden pillars held the wooden planks above the fussy ocean while miniature paths branched out from the center of the walkway. The small paths narrowed and led to endless rows of ships. Numerous amounts of vessels, ranging from a simple row boat to extravagant Konoha government crafts littered the marina. Some attached to floating pieces of wood that were anchored to the ground, under the sea, while others were floating feely with only iron anchors thrown over the side.

As they continued to walk down the main center of the boardwalk, the population and noise amplified where it was just a whirlwind of conversations that flowed into their ears. It was if their father had called a state of emergency and all of Konoha had to evacuate. All around them merchants were launching themselves towards the wandering sailors, trying to scam them in buying their good luck charms that help with the success of a voyage. Sailors howled at them to get away, while some threated to throw them across the boardwalk others actually tossed them into the sea. Sailors of all different sizes and shapes traveled back and forth between boats and other small shops that rested at the edges of the walkway, hoping to trade in a small amount of coins for a single piece of fish.

Sakura tightened her hold around Naruto's arm as her eyes scanned the area with caution. _They are livelier than the last time I came here. _

"Sis, look over there!" Naruto managed to scream out as he pointed towards the giant pine wooden booth that stood at the very end of the boardwalk.

The booth possessed a sign that said "Supply" in big red letters plastered on a piece of faded oak wood. Four Konoha government officials dressed in the typical black breeches, leather shoes, black long sleeved shirt and forest green vest, sat at the other end of the booth. Giant scrolls oozed over the wide booth and traveled on the wooden planks. They sat there, with a feather and ink bottle ready for the rush of sailors that began to line up in front of the booth.

"What are they doing?" Naruto asked as he pushed Sakura closer to the line that continued to grow longer and longer.

"Hey fuckin' move it!" A rough sailor screamed out as he slammed into Naruto and sprinted off shoving his way into the line.

Sakura swiftly caught Naruto before he hit the ground, "are you okay Naruto?" She asked him as she watched him clutch onto his arm.

_I will not show pain! _Naruto closed his eyes for a few seconds before he opened them and swallowed down the pain that erupted from the sailor that ran into him. "I'm fine," he said quietly, hoping Sakura wouldn't stop their adventure.

"Good," Sakura rubbed his arm gently. Her scheming eyes stared at the line that was getting closer and closer to them before she turned her attention back to Naruto. "You want to see what they are doing?" She asked him.

Naruto nodded his head eagerly, "yeah!" He turned to the line but then turned his attention to his sandaled covered feet, "but how are we going to get through?"

"Why Naruto!" Sakura squatted down to meet him at his eye level and gently grabbed his chin, making him lock eyes with hers, "we just push our way through!"

The idea of pushing their way through the intimidating sailors caused Naruto to gulp in nervousness, "but Sis….they're huge!" He threw his hands out as far as they could go to emphasize just how enormous they seemed. _Sis and I can't push through them!_

"Exactly Naruto," she watched as his mouth dropped to the floor, "just listen to my plan okay?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head. _What does she think that we can do? She's small and I'm small!_

"The one way to get through a crowd as rough as this one is to be as rough as them," she stood up and reached under her dress to pull out the two knives that she kept in case of emergencies, "you remember how Kakashi told you how to hold one of these?"

Naruto nodded his head as Sakura gingerly handed him the smaller knife, "yeah," his eyes grew as wide as tomatoes at the realization that he was allowed to hold the object Kakashi rarely let him hold.

"Here is what we do, we simply shove our way through, if a sailor gets in the way you just hold out the knife like you mean business," Sakura demonstrated as she extended her knife in front of her and jumped back and forth, acting like someone was arguing with her.

"Y-you sure?" Naruto's voice cracked slightly at the realization that he might actually have to use the weapon Sakura.

Sakura patted his back and nodded her head, "you're my backup Naruto, don't be scared."

At the mention of being scared Naruto snapped out of his astonishment and changed into his more normal, determined, overenthusiastic self, "you better believe it! I'm not scared! I'll back you up Sis!"

"That's the spirit Naruto," she looked towards the line that had grown past where they stood and continued to wrap around towards the very end of the boardwalk. She looked at the solidly built men, with bad hygiene, which stood behind Naruto, "are you ready?"

"Believe it!" Naruto shouted as he turned around to face the men Sakura was staring at moments ago.

"Remember, only show your knife if I say so okay?"

"Okay!"

The two of them took a step towards the chaotic line, stared at each other, and exchanged positive enthusiastic smiles before Sakura took Naruto's hand and began to slip through the small spaces that existed between each sailor. At first the men did not know what to do, they watched in slight astonishment as a teenaged girl and young boy effortlessly slipped past the first couple of sailors that carried nets full of fish on their backs. However, their seemingly easy mission came to a crashing halt when they slipped past a less tolerant sailor.

"You brats! No one dares to cut me!" He screamed as he grabbed onto Sakura's shoulder and pushed her behind him.

Sakura released her hold on Naruto as she bounced off the back of another perspiring shirtless sailor with bad body odor. Naruto stood as still as stone as he watched Sakura regained her composure and started to push past the few sailors that carried a large mahogany chest. The colossal-sized sailor looked at the stiff Naruto and chuckled darkly.

"Ha, ha, what's a squirt like you standing in my way?" His sinister brown eyes scanned the shaking Naruto, which caused a bone-chilling grin to spread across his face. At the sound of the sudden conflict, several other sailors turned around and formed a circle, in hopes that the infamous sailor would start another fight and give them a good show.

"Oh shit, Spike's at it again!" A sailor yelled to his buddies as they brought over their small cotton bags full of gems and entered the circle.

"That's the seventh one this week," another whispered to his partner as they reached into their linen bags and pulled out a few coins.

"Maybe we will get rich off of this one!"

"It's a kid!" Another screamed to the crowd.

"Throw him to the ground!" A sailor screamed as he took one of his octopuses and tossed it into the circle, nearly missing Naruto's body by a few inches.

Spike smirked at Naruto's entire body as it continued to shake uncontrollably, "I have never beaten a kid senseless before…but there is a first time for everything."

Naruto felt his mouth go dry and his legs threatening to collapse. _Sis, where are you? _His petrified eyes looked around trying to find his sister, but the sudden formation of the circle made him unable to see anything but sailors screaming and throwing rocks, fish, and other sea mammals into their circle.

Sakura watched from behind the wall of sailors as she plotted a way to interfere with the sudden fight. _Naruto…what have I done? _She could see her brother threatening to fall apart, his pure fright the only thing that kept him standing in front of the six foot tall bald headed man. _I need something better than just this puny knife. _Pea green eyes looked around the sailors that dropped their boat-sized bags on the ground. _Glass…iron…anything! _She quietly slithered around every sailor's bag until she came across an opened chest full of imported swords. _It's better than nothing, _she thought to herself as she effortlessly grabbed the first sword that caught her eye. _I better hurry. _She attached the leather strap that was connected to the handle of the sword and tied it around her waist.

"Okay! I hear 3 salmon on the kid, who wants in?" a tiny sailor with long shoulder-length hair traveled around the circle extending his hand out towards the twenty foot long chest that was held by two other sailors. The five foot tall man tossed fish, squid, gems, trinkets, and even raw materials that other sailors found during their voyages into the chest. "Alright, anymore wagers?!"

"Fuck no!"

"Shrimp, start the battle already!"

"Kick the kid's ass Spike! I need all that booty to get a bigger boat!"

"Hell no! I'll cut your throat if you get ahold of it! This battle is all mine!"

The rising voices caused Sakura to hurry with her plans. _They are about to start, Naruto is too frozen to move, he won't last a few seconds! _Sakura watched as Spike circled around Naruto. _Remember what Kakashi and Tsunade taught you Sakura, always try to assess your opponent before you jump into battle. _She watched as he casually leaned more towards his left side as he extended his pointed ax out towards Naruto. His body slightly tipped to the side that held the ax from the shire weight of the object. _That's the answer right there…hopefully it works, I don't have my usual weapons…but that shouldn't matter! Tsunade and Kakashi didn't train me to make excuses. Don't worry Naruto, I'm coming! _

"Okay, I have 10 pounds of fish, 2 pounds of squid and 50 gems on Blondie! Spike has 50 pounds of squid, 2 pounds of octopus and 60 gems! First to be knocked out cold wins!" Shrimp explained as he jumped on top of the closed chest, which was still being held by his henchmen, to acquire a clear view of the match.

Naruto felt his sweat trail down his neck as the six foot long ax stopped right at the end of his nose. _What do I do? _He watched as the man shuffled the ax back and forth between his hands as Spike circled around him in a tight circle. The image of the muscular man hurling an ax at his head caused Naruto to feel sick to his stomach. _Someone help! _For the first time in Naruto's life he felt helpless, alone, and scared.

Sakura watched the sailor circle around her brother with a sinister grin on his face. _Oh no you don't! _She took a step forward but was stopped by the length of her dress. The golden satin material slightly fluttered against the small summer breeze, its invisible barrier made it impossible for Sakura to move her legs as freely as she wanted. _Sorry Dad, but this is dress has to go. _Without a second thought, Sakura grabbed her knife and cut the ankle long dress at the top of her knees. With one swift movement the dress fluttered to the red cedar planks, freeing Sakura from its clutches. She looked down at her revealed black leather heeled boots and effortlessly kicked them off her feet. _Nothing will get in the way of me saving Naruto. _Before Sakura ran into the middle of the fighting circle, a soft thud caught her attention. _What was that? _She looked down at the golden remains of the dress and lifted it up to reveal a small linen bag sitting against the ground. _I'm a genius! _Sakura swiftly grabbed the small bag and kissed it with her lips. _Thank you surprise attacks from Tsunade! This puffball will be my ticket out of this mess. _With a flow of adrenaline coursing through her veins, Sakura gently tied the linen bag to the sword's handle and sank down into her heels. _No one puts a finger on my brother, _she thought darkly as she narrowed her eyes at Spike, waiting for the right time to pounce.

"Prepare yourself kid, maybe next time you won't be pushin' people bigger than you," Spike cackled out as he swung the ax in the air.

Naruto watched the ax slice through the air centimeters in front of his body. The fast movement from the ax caused a wave of air to crash against his body. The sudden change in pressure caused Naruto to take a step back, where he nearly tripped on the slippery squid that had been thrown minutes ago. "I…I…" Naruto found brain unable to form complete words as the towering man began to walk closer to him. _Why can't I act normal?! _The frustration of his scared body not responding to his demands to move was evident on his face, but yet his body continued to shake and made no effort to move. He tried to order his body to pull the knife Sakura gave him from the waistband of his black breeches. _Hand! Move! _Even shouting at his extremities was futile.

Spike brought his ax down towards Naruto's still form but stopped inches at the top of Naruto's head. He revealed his pearly white teeth as he smiled and winked at Naruto. "Sailors of Konoha," he turned to everyone in the circle and twirled the ax around in his hand as he continued to take in the attention he was receiving, "this kid represents the cruel government that tries to control our movements!" The sudden sailor extended his ax towards the red "Supply" sign, "they are in charge of our money…they didn't go and die for these items. They didn't slit people's throats or drown people for these treasures. We did all the work and yet they can tell us how much money we get!"

Sakura listened to the insane man as he turned his attention back to Naruto. She ducked even lower into her heels, _just a few more steps closer and I'll be right by your side Naruto. _

"I will slit this boy's throat and pour his blood over their heads as retaliation towards the shit pay they give us!" Spike's sudden declaration caused many of the seamen to cheer at the encouraging words. Naruto felt a huge knot in the back of his throat at the declaration of his throat being sliced into pieces. _I don't want to die! _The mere thought of Spike's ax hitting his throat caused Naruto to place both hands around the body part of interest.

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" Was the chant that formed amongst the sailors as Spike turned his attention back to Naruto and extended his ax towards the scared child once again, "It's time to die!" He shouted as he pulled the ax over his head and used his massive upper body strength to throw the heavy iron ax down towards Naruto's head. Naruto stood as still as ice, watching the ax come down on his head in slow motion. _Body…move… now! _No matter what he tried, his body refused to move.

"Naruto! Move!" A voice cried out just as Naruto felt his body being pushed across the rough planks.

A clash of metal echoed in Naruto's ears as his body crashed into the red cedar planks. _Sis?! _The sudden connection between the voice and the push caused Naruto to jump to his feet and scramble to turn around to see what was happening behind him. To his relief, Sakura had skillfully dodging the giant ax. _Whoa! _Naruto's mouth slightly opened as he watched Sakura use the sword in her hand to deflect the ax away from her body. The sudden force offset Spike's throw and caused his accurate aim to avoid Sakura's body.

"What the fuck?" Spike withdrew his ax as the pink haired teenager jumped in his way.

Sakura jumped back towards Naruto while Spike tried to recollect himself. She slightly turned to Naruto while her eyes never left Spike's body, "are you okay Naruto?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head, "yeah…where did you go Sis?"

"I'm sorry Naruto. I was getting prepared to fight this guy to make sure he didn't hurt you. I'm sorry I left you for that long, I hope you aren't mad at me," she explained as she shot him a quick apologetic look.

Naruto feverishly shook his head from side-to-side, the idea of ever being mad at Sakura sounded impossible in his mind. "No…I was just…" he looked down at his feet ashamed to admit how scared he was.

Sakura lightly patted his golden spikes with her petite hand, "don't worry Naruto, everything is going to be okay now."

"How?" Naruto looked at the fuming Spike with apprehension.

"I'm going to make him wish he never messed with my little brother," she turned to Naruto once again and flashed Naruto her very own cheesy grin.

"But Sis…" Naruto stared at his small sister and then stared at the massive man that began to twirl his ax around his body, "that guy is huge! How can we compete with that?"

"Don't worry Naruto, just sit back and watch," Sakura reassured him as she patted his head one last time before she began to walk towards the center of the circle.

"Sis…" Naruto stood at the other end of the circle watching his sister enter the scariest situation he had ever seen. _Sis really thinks she can win. _Naruto knew of Sakura's training with his soon-to-be mentor Kakashi and their family friend Tsunade, but he had never seen her spar with anyone.

"A turn of events!" Shrimp shouted out as he jumped up and down in growing delight. "A teenaged woman has taken the kid's place!" His spectating eyes scanned Sakura's body with interest, her dress was shorter than usual and she revealed much more skin than the town whores. _Her dress is pretty fancy…yet she is barely dressed… more money here I come! _He flipped off of the giant chest and motioned for his minions to follow him around the circle once again. "Bets? How many of you think this hot woman will thrash Spike to the ground! How many think Spike will win? Put up your fish and gems and gamble it all away!" His eloquent words caused more sailors to throw even more trinkets into the chest, by the time Shrimp had finished his round around the circle the chest was exploding with items from the sea.

Shrimp climbed to the top of the chest and forced the items to fit back inside, managing to close it by using his weight to shut the top. "Spike vs. Pinkie! Again, the rule still stands, first one to knock the other one out wins!"

Spike stood in front of Sakura, looking down at her petite body with a chuckle, "I think the kid would have been a better opponent. You're not even worth my time." He looked around to see all of the sailors cheering for the battle to begin, "but with all of this attention I can't say no."

Sakura placed the sword in front of her body and smiled at the arrogant man, "whatever you say Sir," she felt her body growing more excited about the sudden battle. _Naruto has never seen me fight before. _She looked behind to see Naruto standing there staring at her with wide eyes, _now Naruto can see exactly what Kakashi will teach him._

"Die woman!" Spike screamed out as he extended his ax and sprinted towards Sakura.

Sakura stood her ground as she watched the way Spike's body began to tilt towards the right side, to help accommodate for the massively heavy ax that was being held. _That weapon is huge. No matter how skilled someone is it's hard to mask a weak spot. All I have to do is throw off his balance and use my little secret weapon and Naruto and I are out of here! _She looked down at her linen pouch and smirked, _time to show them Sakura! _

The iron casted ax was swung and swiftly cut through the air towards Sakura's unmoving body. The excited teen tilted her body to the opposite side of the ax's path. She twisted the sword towards the point of attachment, where the ax's blade met the top of the pole, and used her body weight to slightly offset Spike's throw.

"You little bitch," Spike grunted as he felt his ax being forcefully pushed away from his target. _She deflecting my ax with little force. _This sudden realization caused his rage to surge.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Sakura said with a giggle as she jumped onto the pole and placed her sword inches away from his face, "if you call off this fight and let my little brother and I walk away freely, I will not have to embarrass you in front of everyone," she tried to reason with him.

Spike's long arms reached out and forcefully grabbed Sakura by the neck, "sorry squirt but there is no way you can beat me," and to prove his point he launched Sakura to the opposite side of the circle. His forceful throw caused Sakura to thump onto the wooden planks, causing her to receive several scraps from the protruding nails that stuck out from the wood. _Well I wasn't expecting that, _she thought to herself as she used both of her hands to push herself off the ground into a standing position.

"Sis!" Naruto shouted as he began to run towards her, the sight of her arm bleeding worried him even more. _We should just run for it! _

"Naruto do not move!" Sakura shouted to him as she held her hand out as a motion to stop him from advancing closer to her.

"You're bleeding!"

"I…"

Before Sakura could finish her sentence Spike spoke again, "just shut up and fight!" His temper began to escalate. He forcefully pulled his ax out of the planks, leaving a large gaping hole in the middle of the boardwalk, and began to gallop towards Sakura.

_Come on Sakura think. _She looked down at her katana sword, wishing that it was longer, _I need something to throw him off balance long enough so I can knock him out. _His pounding feet slammed against the ground, causing everyone to feel the vibrations that accompanied his stride. _I need something fast! _Sakura watched as the man continued to run closer and closer towards her. Sage green eyes hastily looked around the area for anything that could stop the large man from coming in her direction. _He's coming fast! _It surprised her at how fast Spike was able to run with the heavy ax that sat in his hand. _Wait a minute; _she caught sight of a twenty-four inch long squid from the corner of her eye. _Perfect! _Wasting no time, Sakura quickly jumped to the side and picked up the freshly deceased sea mammal. _Here goes nothing, _quickly she recoiled her arm and tossed the slippery mammal across the ground.

Its body was still encased in a slimy, slippery, film causing it to slide perfectly in line with the stride of the blindly running Spike. Sakura sank down into her heels, sword extended, as she waited for the man to step onto the dangerously slippery squid. Spike, however, was too recklessly running towards Sakura that he didn't notice the squid that rested lifelessly against the wooden planks. As soon as his foot connected with the body of the squid, his opposite leg rose up and his body began to fall backwards.

_Now's my chance._ Sakura sank down into her heels and launched herself above his falling body. Her sage green eyes stared at his baggy linen pants as she raised back her sword in hopes of throwing the sharp weapon in-between his legs. _If this sword hits right in-between his legs and if it goes deep enough into the wood, he won't be able to move._

Spike watched as the young woman flew over his head. Her slender legs caught him off-guard, momentarily, before more anger began to fully cloud his mind. "No you don't you little gypsy!" He roared as he pulled his ax above his head and swiped at her tantalizing legs. _I'm not going down!_

_Got cha! _Sakura thought with eagerness as she used all of her force to throw the sword in-between his legs before she missed her only opportunity. As soon as she threw the sword, a roaring pain shot up her spine. "Gah!" she shouted out of surprise as she found her body slamming, once again, into the planks below.

"Told you I'd…" Spike watched as the girl stayed on the ground as his body slammed into the boardwalk. _I won't let her get away. _The infuriated man tried to pull himself up from the ground but found that he was unable to lift his body. "What the…" He reluctantly looked away from Sakura's fallen body and saw a sword frighteningly close to his precious manhood. "AHH!" He screamed as the realization that the teenager could have dismembered him.

"It looks like the girl has some skill!" Shrimp announced.

"That sword is close to your nuts Spike!" A sailor began laughing at the idea that Spike was blindsided by a woman.

"The almighty Spike has been caught off-guard! Yet the girl is down on the ground! Anyone wish to raise their bet!" Shrimp began to entice more sailors into the bet.

"I raise 10 fish!"

"Make it 3 more squid!"

While the bet continued to grow in size, Sakura found herself clutching onto her bleeding thigh. _He cut me pretty deep. _She watched as the deep gash continued to ooze blood. _I need to stop this bleeding. _Emerald eyes scanned all around her fallen body, hoping to find any cloth to stop the bleeding, but when she couldn't find any material her eyes fell to her already revealing dress. _A girl has to do what a girl has to do. _She grabbed her small knife that was attached to the very top of her thigh and proceeded to rip off as much material as she could. By the time Sakura was done, her dress had shortened to her mid-thigh. _I have to tie this quickly! _With skilled hands, she tied her golden dress around her injured thigh. _Now to finish this, _she thought as she jumped to her feet, ignoring the way her body protested against the sudden movement.

"She's up!" Naruto shouted as he watched his older sister, with pride, stand to her feet and walk towards the struggling Spike. _Come on Sis! You can do it! _His sister's skills were slowly amazing him more and more he continued to watch her fight.

Spike stopped scrambling when he heard someone shout that the woman had risen from the ground. _Fuck, I need to get out of this! _He glared at the sword for hindering his movements and stared at his pants that refused to escape the clutches of the sword. _Fuck it, _was his last thought before he untied the string around his waist and wiggled his burly legs out of his pants.

"You're clever…for a girl," Spike said as he stood up revealing his white sweat covered underwear to the world.

"Yo Spike put that dick away!"

"No one wants to see that!"

A few other sailors jeered at him as they covered their eyes at the display of Spike's male anatomy. Spike glared at them but picked up his ax and held it in front of his body, "now I'm not playing around!"

Sakura raised a slim pink eyebrow in his direction, "and I was?" She momentarily stared at his nearly see-through underwear before she turned her attention to her sword. _I need to get that pouch. _Her eyes watched the small pouch sit innocently on the handle of the sword. _If he runs at me again I can manage to slip past him._

"This battle is over!" Spike screamed at the top of his lungs as he made another attempt to sprint in her direction.

_Just like I hoped, _she thought with a hidden smile. Sakura waited until Spike was within twenty feet of her before she ran towards his body.

"And Pinkie is running right towards Spike! What will happen?" Shrimp narrated as everyone watched the scene unfold.

Spike continued to run, _she is just trying to make me stop running…that will not happen! _The anger mixed with embarrassment that he was feeling overpowered his ability to think straight, which forced him to continue running towards the irritating teenager.

_Now! _Sakura slightly stepped to the side of Spike's body that held the pole and swiftly brought her body to the ground. The small thump echoed in the air as her body slammed against the walkway. Without losing her momentum, she managed to position her body and slid underneath the small opening between his legs.

The sudden stunt caused the crowd to cheer with excitement and anger. Her short dress started to rise towards her hips, causing other sailors to see more of Sakura's well-toned thighs. Her legs easily slide past the sword and Sakura managed to tear the linen bag off the handle.

The irate man stopped running and turned towards the sliding Sakura. "Oh no you don't!" He pivoted on his toes and sprinted faster than before towards Sakura's still laying down body.

_Crap! _Sakura could feel his steps coming closer. _I don't have time. I just have to use this now. _With speedy hands, she untied the linen bag and dumped out a fist-sized fungus. The brown fungus possessed a slight hole in the middle of the circular body, while the outside of the small fungus was covered in small spikes. The vibrations of Spike's footsteps increased with every second. By the time Sakura managed to pull the puffball out of its bag, Spike was right above her, ax over his head, eyes clouded with bloodlust and resentment.

"Die!" He shouted as he motioned for his ax to come falling on her one last time.

"No! Sis!" Naruto shouted from the sidelines as he sprinted towards her unmoving body. _Run faster! _He demanded his body as he tried to close the distance between him and Sakura.

"Oh man, it was getting so good!"

Shrimp nodded to the sailors below, "it looks like Pinkie couldn't keep…"

"Sorry Spike, but your time is up!" Sakura shouted with a happy smile as she squeezed the fungus in-between her hands.

As soon as Sakura squeezed the spiked ball, opaque dark brown smog escaped out of the hole at the center of the fungus' body. She watched as the spores sprayed at Spike's face. The spores danced around his face and eyes, rendering the man blind.

"Ah! You bitch!" He shouted as the spores entered his eyes.

* * *

From the distance, two men were walking towards the boardwalk with their fishing tack shoved in two linen bags. They easily slipped through the crowd, making their way to their ship that rested in the harbor. As they passed the merchants and got closer to the main square of the marina, they noticed a huge riot that blended within the extensive long line of sailors that waited for their turn to be judged by the head Konoha officials.

"They're at it again," a teenaged boy with long black hair that was held back into a small bun stared at the mindless sailors with an unfazed expression.

A deep sigh came from the taller older male with spiked brown hair and bandages that wrapped around his face, only revealing the bridge of his nose and his dark almond eyes, "with Spike, there is always something worth fighting about." _I'm surprised none of the Konoha officials are stopping this. _Almond eyes rolled in the back of his head. _Why would they? He continues to fight no matter what they tell him._

With a shrug of his shoulders the teenaged boy turned his attention from the fight and began to follow his older partner towards their boat.

"Ah! You bitch!" The sudden shout of agony caused both the adolescent boy and his partner stopped walking.

"You hear that?" The boy said as he tilted his head in the direction of the fight once again.

"We should check it out, it might be interesting," the older man commanded as they leisurely walked towards the commotion.

* * *

Sakura rolled to the side as Spike dropped his ax and brought his hands to his eyes, hoping to push the uncomfortable smog from his eyes. _Now that he is distracted, I need to knock him out, but how? _She looked around their area for some type of weapon that would be heavy enough to knock Spike to the ground. _Wait a minute…_ The sun shined high in the sky, allowing the entire country to feel its high temperature rays. While Sakura scanned the circle for anything useful, the powerful sun illuminated down on an object ten feet to her right.

Quickly, Sakura sprinted towards the mysterious object while she continued to look over her shoulder to watch Spike deal with the thick smog that still clouded his vision. When she reached the object an joyful squeal escaped her lips. _Who would have thought a lionfish would be here! _She grabbed the brightly brown stripped fish by the tail and stared at the protruding baby blue spikes that decorated his dorsal and side fins. _I'm sorry to do this to you lionfish. _With her knife, Sakura quickly cut of one of the spikes and dropped the fish to the ground. _I have no more time to waste! _The teenager held her knife in one hand and the spike in the other as she sprinted to the hysterically running Spike.

"Water! Someone give me water!" He shouted in urgency as the smog started to slowly vaporize into the air.

Sakura stood to his side as the smog slowly receded from his vision. With the return of his vision, Spike came to a slamming halt, the feeling of relief washed over his body. He placed his hands on his knees and began to wheeze; he had not noticed how exhausted he was while he was parading around the circle of sailors.

"Finally," he said with a sigh.

"Sorry Spike, but it looks like I win," Sakura interjected as she twirled next to his right side, watching his body try to gather the necessary oxygen that was in high demand, and gave him a stunning smile.

Spike froze in his place as her smile hypnotized him, "what?" Before Spike could bring himself back to his senses, Sakura took the lionfish's spike and stabbed it into his thigh. Her eyes traveled from the protruding spike and traveled to the man's face, waiting to see his reaction.

"Sis!" Naruto came dashing to Sakura's side. _She didn't get hurt; _to say he was relieved was an understatement.

"Naruto!" Sakura pulled him to her side and motioned for him to watch Spike, "watch what happens."

"It's just a little spike it can't do…" Naruto and Sakura watched as the viciously exasperated man lost his train of thought and his body become limp. With the sudden loss of feeling, Spike slowly slammed down onto his knees and within seconds his upper body fell forward, smashing the clean shaven man's face square in the middle of a wooden plank.

Shrimp stood at the top of the chest, mouth opened wide, "it seems like…we have a winner! Pinkie!"

Some sailors moaned while other cheered. Shrimp jumped to one of his minion's shoulders and motioned for them to take him to his side of the boardwalk. "I will split the profits, those who won, it's a good pay for you! Sorry losers, it looks like you get nothing!" Once Shrimp spoke those words the crowd split in half. Some followed the man with the overstuffed chest while others stormed off in a fit of rage, back into the long line. As fast as the crowd of Konoha sailors came, they left.

Naruto watched with surprise as the sailors suddenly forgot all about them. "Sis…what did you do?"

"Oh Naruto!" Sakura bent down and engulfed Naruto into an overwhelming hug, "I'm so sorry for everything! Are you okay?" She lifted his body into the air and twirled him around in a small circle. _How could I have ever let this happen to him? _

"Yeah…I'm fine," Naruto hugged her tightly, afraid to let her go. _Why couldn't I have done more to protect Sis…why did I have to freeze like that! _He hugged her even tighter as the anger he felt towards himself began to rise. _I will protect Sis no matter what my body says! _

"I will never let something like that happen to you ever again okay?" Sakura stopped twirling and gently placed him on the ground, but as soon as she did she felt his little arms were still glued around her shoulders. "No one will ever hurt you," she slowly separated Naruto from her and placed a soft caring hand on his sun kissed face, "you hear me?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head, tears threatening to fall, "Y-Yes…"

"I had a feeling you were behind this chaos," a deep voice came from behind Sakura, interrupting their intimate conversation.

Naruto looked away from Sakura's eyes and stared at the two men that stood behind her. He gently separated himself from Sakura. _I could ask him to teach me to protect Sis! _

"Zabuza!" Naruto screamed as he leaped and attached himself around the older man's ankles.

"You little squirt, I hate when you do that!" Zabuza grumbled as he lifted his leg and began to shake it violently.

"What brings you here to our side of town?" The teenaged boy on the side of Zabuza walked over to Sakura and flashed a welcoming smile.

"Hey Haku!" Sakura greeted him with a giant hug, "it has been a while!"

"It has," Haku returned her hug.

"I give up," Zabuza grunted out as Naruto reluctantly stayed attached to his leg. "Mind explaining why the attention absorbed Spike is knocked out in the middle of the boardwalk?" Zabuza looked to the pink haired teenager with anticipating eyes. _She never changes._

Sakura broke her hug with Haku and rubbed the back of her neck, "uh…well you see…"

"You're injured Sakura," Haku interrupted as he noticed the golden material wrapped around her leg had begun to change to a deep maroon red color. His oval shaped light brown eyes stared at the many cuts and scrapes that covered her arms and legs, trying to assess just how badly she had gotten hurt.

Naruto detached himself from Zabuza's leg and stood up tall, "that's because Sis kicked that guy's butt!" He proclaimed proudly.

"Did you now?" Zabuza took in the battered Sakura and noticed that her typical royal clothing had become nearly nonexistent, "I guess that slim ball Kakashi taught you something useful."

Sakura giggled at the rival her former mentor and Zabuza shared. _When I first met Zabuza it amazed me how Kakashi and Zabuza knew each other. I guess being an elite Knight for Konoha allows you to meet all kinds of people. _"Don't worry Zabuza I used what you taught me about fish to bring down Spike as well, I won't give Kakashi all of the credit, only the credit he deserves."

"Damn right," Zabuza smirked as he walked over to Sakura and ruffled her hair in the same manner Kakashi always did. "Stay out of trouble. Haku, let's go, we have fish to catch," Zabuza removed his hand from the top of Sakura's head and tilted his head towards their small row boat that blended in the harbor amongst the other more elaborate vessels.

"Zabuza, Sakura is injured, we should address her wounds," Haku never brought his eyes away from the bleeding thigh that continued to hold his attention.

"Whatever, bring her along with us, we have fish to catch," Zabuza waved his hand in the air and began walking down one of the smaller narrower paths.

"Wait Zabuza! I'm coming with you!" Naruto shouted as he sprinted off towards the fisherman.

"You're not going to stop him?" Haku asked, already knowing the answer to his question.

"Today was about Naruto having fun. He can do whatever he wants." _I owe him that much._

"Come this way," Haku slipped his slightly toned arm around her back and began to slowly walk with her towards their row boat.

While Naruto bounced beside Zabuza, Sakura hobbled her way to the uncharacteristically long rowing boat that rested innocently on top of the calm sea. The ends of the wooden masterpiece curved towards the sky, its dark mahogany sharp edges held a sense of intimidation amongst the other smaller vessels within the port. The middle of the craft possessed a small seating area with wooden oak benches that stood parallel from one another. In-between the benches laid an opened, foot long, chest that stored various medical and fishing supplies. Around the edge of the boat were several circular holes that held a few fishing poles, which faced outward towards the deep blue sea. Along the outside of the boat were carvings of waves and Zabuza's favorite fish, the shark. The majority of the boat was eloquently decorated with carvings but there were only a few left unfinished.

Zabuza looked towards the thick linen rope that tied the boat; he made with his two hands, and smirked at the object that was being held against the oak pole to insure its spot against the harbor. _There is my pretty lady, _he swiftly pulled out the seven foot long sword and attached it to his back. With one hand he chucked the bags into the middle of his boat and allowed the rope to slither into the water.

"Hurry up, the boat is leaving," he effortlessly jumped into his ship and positioned himself in his typical seat at the right end of the ship.

"Yahoo!" Naruto shouted as he took a running start and jumped into the boat, legs flailing. When his feet connected to the wooden benches his balance swayed and he found himself face first on the boat's floor.

"Careful there Naruto," Sakura giggled slightly as she gracefully jumped next to him and offered a hand to his fallen form.

"I meant to do that," Naruto grumbled as he refused to take her hand and turned his body around in order to stand up like a normal human being.

"Of course," she said with a smile as she patted his head and took a seat on the bench.

"Haku give us a push," Zabuza ordered as he pulled out four ores and tossed one to Sakura and Naruto. "Be useful and push this boat," he ordered as he dipped his ore into the sparkling blue sea.

Haku wordlessly grabbed the same end that Zabuza sat in and pushed the heavy boat effortlessly away from the harbor. Zabuza motioned for Naruto to push on his side of the boat while Sakura used her ore to help push the left side of the ship. As soon as the boat started to drift away with the current, Haku grabbed onto the curved end of the boat and used the tip of the boat to twirl his body onto the moving vessel. Haku grabbed an ore and began to help Sakura push the left side of the boat while Zabuza and Naruto pushed the right side. Within minutes, the coast line of Konoha was no longer visible and all they could see was the crystal clean water that surrounded them.

"Here," Zabuza grabbed a small pole and tossed it into Naruto's hands, "sine Haku is patching up Sakura, you're going to learn how to fish."

Naruto's face lit up as bright as the sun, "cool!" He held onto the pole and waited for further instructions.

"Take the pole, like this," Zabuza leaned his fishing pole to the side while he placed Naruto's hands around the grip of the classic wooden pole. "This is a handle," Zabuza pointed to the iron handle attached to the wheel that held several feet of light flexible iron. "The handle helps pull in this iron line," he bent over to his linen bag and pulled out two small pine wood boxes. "See," he opened one box to reveal a copper hook, "take this and attach it to the end of your wire."

"Okay," Naruto took the hook and dropped the pole on the ground. He sat on the ground next to it and feverishly attached the hook to the surprisingly thin wire. "Like this?" He asked after several seconds of fighting with the wire to slide through the eye of the hook.

"Yeah," Zabuza took the rod and tied the wire to prevent the hook from slipping. He motioned for Naruto to stand and felt a smirk fan across his hidden lips. _Now comes the fun part. _The fisherman placed one box on the ground while he pulled out his other pine box. His dark brown eyes stared at Naruto as he placed his callused hand over the cover, "you ready?"

"You better believe it! Nothing can scare me!"

Zabuza chuckled as he opened the lid to reveal ten worms inching around in his box.

"What is that?" Naruto shouted as he subconsciously pulled away from the weird creature.

"It's a worm, put your hand out," Zabuza saw Naruto hesitate at first but he slowly allowed his hand to move close to Zabuza.

"What are you…" Naruto watched with wide eyes as Zabuza effortlessly grabbed the creature and placed it on top of his hand. "It's slimy!" He screamed scared to move a muscle as the creature slithered around the palm of his small hand.

"Shove its head on the hook," Zabuza said enjoying every minute of Naruto's discomfort. _Sakura was not as entertaining to watch. _He remembered the first time Sakura snuck away from her side of town and ended up at his doorstep. _I should have known a worm wouldn't scare that child. _He mentally chuckled at the image of a small Sakura playing with a small worm before she shoved it on the hook without a second thought.

"You're kidding right!" Naruto's shout caused Haku and Sakura to look in their direction momentarily before they laughed and turned their attention to the medical kit by Haku's hip.

"No. Do it," Zabuza watched the young boy with narrowing eyes waiting for the kid to throw the worm into the ocean out of retaliation.

"Eh ha ha ha," Naruto let out a loud gulp as he grabbed the worm with his other hand and pinched its body with his index and thumb finger. _This is so weird! _He told himself as he used his other hand to grab the copper hook. With a deep sigh he closed his eyes and quickly shoved the worm onto the point of the hook.

"Not so bad was it?" Zabuza smirked at Naruto.

"Uh…?" Naruto looked at the unmoving worm and began poking it. "And this weird thing gets fish to come?"

Zabuza nodded his head, "we take the fishing rod, toss it over your shoulder and as you throw the pole towards the water, use the handle to release as much wire as you want. The more you have the better chance you have of getting fish. Just don't let go of my pole or I'll throw you into the ocean to go get it," he threatened.

Naruto shook his head violently, "don't throw the pole into the water, got it." _God this guy is scary! _Within a few releases Naruto was able to throw the wire forty feet away from their boat. He sat on his wooden bench and stared at Zabuza from the corner of his eye, "now what?"

The bandaged-face man tossed his line into the water and sat in his spot, wedging his back against the back of the boat, "we wait."

"For how long?" Naruto asked already squirming around in his seat.

"Until you feel a pull on your line," he answered emotionlessly as he proceeded to close his eyes.

"Oh…" Naruto sat quietly looked out at the ocean. His attention began to turn towards his older sister who was receiving medical attention from the boy her age. _Do I ask Zabuza? _He looked back at the silent, intimidating, muscular man and then stared at the biggest sword he had ever seen that sat against the man's back. _I have to ask!_

Zabuza could feel Naruto staring at him and his sword. _He's more curious than I give him credit for. _He opened one eye and caught Naruto staring at him. "What?"

Naruto quickly averted his gaze to the water but found himself looking back at the staring Zabuza. "Um…Zabuza…why…why do you have a sword if you are a fisherman?"

"I wasn't always a fisherman," Zabuza gave Naruto a slight smile. _I guess he is just as curious as Sakura._

"What were you?"

"I used to be a fighter," Zabuza explained as he stared out into the ocean reminiscing his younger days. "I traveled between all countries completing missions their elite Knights wouldn't accept. It was dangerous, fun, and exciting," he finished as the sun beamed down on his sun-kissed skin.

"So you can protect your family?" Naruto asked staring at Zabuza with hope in his eyes.

The question caught Zabuza off-guard. He turned his attention from the peaceful ocean and stared at Naruto's hopeful cerulean blue eyes. "I guess…why do you ask?" His curiosity about Naruto's question caused him to dig deeper into the child's mind.

"I…" Naruto looked away from Zabuza and glanced at Sakura before he brought his eyes down to his sandals. "I don't want to be weak! I want to be able to protect Sis no matter what happens."

The determination in his eyes caused Zabuza to smirk. _Ah, so the little squirt was scared shitless around Spike. _He looked to injured Sakura and allowed the pieces to fall into place. _He saw Sakura fighting and was too scared to do anything about it. _"Don't worry about it kid," Zabuza slapped his back and ruffled his hair. "Your time will come when you will be old enough to save Sakura. Trust me, she is a breeding ground for trouble."

Naruto felt a small smile begin to crawl across his lips. "Really?"

"She will wear you out," he said with a shoulder shrug.

"Bring it on!" He shouted as he jumped to his feet and waved the pole around in the water.

"Be careful with that you squirt!" The shouting from Zabuza and Naruto caused Haku and Sakura to stop their conversation to see what exactly what was happening on the other side of the boat.

"It seems like they are getting along," Haku said with a smile as he watched Zabuza dance around the swaying Naruto, trying to guarantee his pole's safety.

Sakura giggled and nodded her head in their direction, "it's funny how Zabuza and Naruto get along."

"Zabuza won't admit it, but he likes Naruto," Haku turned his head away from the duo and brought his attention back to Sakura's propped leg that rested on top of the wooden bench. "What did you do Sakura?"

"I…was introducing Naruto to a part of town he had never seen before," she murmured to Haku as she watched the teen's pale fingers untie her stained golden cloth from around her thigh.

"Why the marina? You know it's dangerous," he quickly tossed the rag drenched in blood, buried his hands into a small box that possessed several pieces of cotton, and placed them on the wooden bench beside him.

A small sigh escaped her mouth and her shoulders slouched, "it was a place that he had been asking to go see. Whenever he would ask Dad, he would cut Naruto off and tell him it was forbidden. I figured since it was just Naruto and I today, that it was the perfect time to show him the marina."

Haku reached into the small box in the center of the sitting area and pulled out a bottle of rum and a small cotton bag. He unscrewed the top of the square rum bottle and held her calf still, "this might hurt," he warned as he poured the alcohol over her open wound. Her muscles tensed as the alcohol flushed through her opened wound. Haku held her calf steady, waiting for her to kick out in pain.

"O-Oh you weren't kidding," Sakura stuttered as the stinging pain caused bumps to crawl up her arms. She held her leg as still as she could as the pain escalated through her body. _Scratch that, this really hurts. _

"Sorry about that," Haku's voice traveled to her ears as he quickly covered the liquor and untied the cotton bag. "I didn't mean to hurt you," he explained as he pulled out four forest green long, thick, oval shaped leaves. Haku grabbed each stem and snapped it over Sakura's gash from the top of her thigh to the top of her knee. The clear, musky smelling, liquid rand down her leg relieving Sakura of her gut wrenching pain. As soon as her leg muscles relaxed in his hold, Haku took his free hand away from her calf and gently rubbed the liquid up and down her thigh, making sure to cover every inch of the gash.

"Don't worry about it," Sakura gave him a smile and placed her hand on his broad shoulder, "I did this to myself, you're just fixing me. There is no harm in that."

Haku looked up from addressing her wound and gave Sakura a genuine smile, "how did you get this wound in the first place?"

Sakura placed her hands behind her body and leaned back, taking in the bright sunlight as it hovered over her skin, "Naruto wanted to know what the line of sailors was for, but as soon as we tried to get close they knocked us out of the way." Sakura watched as Haku drained the last herb of its liquid and wrapped two long pieces of cloth around her thigh. "Naruto was disappointed that we couldn't get through…and that's when I had the stupidest idea."

"I'm sure it…" Haku was cut off by a tearing Sakura.

"No Haku, don't try to save me this time," she looked up from her wound and stared at her childhood friend with guilt written all over her face. "It was my decision to try to push our way through the crowd to see what was happening, it was my fault we ran into Spike, it was my fault that I couldn't save Naruto before everything got out of hand," she sat up and returned her hands to her lap, clenching them as she explained what happened to the patient Haku.

The concerned teenaged boy quickly chucked the medical supplies into the wooden box and scooted close towards Sakura. His slender hands wrapped around her clenched fists, "Sakura you can't be this hard on…"

She interrupted him again, "It took me long enough to prepare to tear Spike to shreds that Naruto was nearly close to death Haku!" She gently shouted at him as she tightened her clenched fists even tighter, a slight pain pulsed through her palms at the intensity of her squeeze.

"But you didn't allow that to happen Sakura," Haku removed on hand to wipe the silent tears that began to drip down her cheek bones. "You saved Naruto, isn't that all that matters?"

Sakura looked deep into the light brown caring eyes of her friend before she blinked away the tears from her eyes, "I guess you're right," she said with a sigh. _I just wish I never put Naruto in that position. He was so scared._

"See?" Haku gave her a gentle smile before he used his other hand to slightly squeeze her fists for assurance.

The two sat in silence as Sakura repositioned her body to look out at the ocean. The ocean breeze gently brushed through her long strawberry pink locks as the salty smell filtered through her nose. Haku sat by her side looking out at the wonderful view he had always loved. Sakura watched the sparkling ocean dance against the small ripples that were created as the boat rose and fell against the ocean, "I don't want to lose him Haku," she whispered, breaking the silence between them.

"I don't know if you haven't noticed Sakura, but Naruto doesn't look like he wants to leave you," Haku tilted his head towards Naruto's jumping form.

"I just…" Sakura looked down at her hands before she looked back at Haku.

"Just what?" Haku sat on the edge of his seat, waiting for Sakura to confide in him like she always did when they were younger.

"…have you…have you ever felt like you lost something dear to you?"

"What do you mean Sakura?" Haku held her gaze as he searched her dazzling emerald eyes for a clue into what was happening inside her mind. _I have never seen her like this before. Normally she is never this frustrated when something goes wrong…she is normally laughing about it…_

"When I saw Naruto almost become headless from Spike…I had this feeling…"

"It's okay Sakura, you can tell me," Haku took her hands once again and encouraged her to speak her mind.

Sakura could see the encouragement and reassurance in Haku's eyes, "it was almost like I had seen something like that happen before. I don't know how to explain it. I saw Naruto in danger and I felt like I was going to lose him, like if I didn't do anything he will vanish before my eyes," she paused to make sure Haku was following her train of thought, "it almost felt like I had lost something close to me before…but I don't know how that's possible."

"You're not alone Sakura," Haku reassured her as his eyes slowly slid to the wooden floor beneath their sitting bodies.

"What do you mean?" Sakura pulled her hands away from his and placed them against his cheeks, lifting his face to meet eyes with her. _Is he talking about his parents?_

"I felt that same feeling when my mother was killed by my father. I watched him from the shadows, too afraid to save my mother."

"But you were only a child; you can't blame yourself for what your father did. He had what was coming to him!" Sakura hated to see her friend reminiscing about his horrible past. _The day Haku told me about his mother and killing his father, I wanted to prove that not everyone is like his dad. _The feeling of respect and admiration entered Sakura's eyes as she thought about what Haku had endured at such a young age.

Haku watched a ray of emotions flashed across her face as he tried to relate to her feelings. _And here we are, her trying to make me feel better when she is the one who was upset. _Sometimes Haku could never understand the thought process in Sakura's mind.

"Hey look!" Naruto's voice cut through their sentiment moment like a knife.

"Squirt if you fling that pole one more time, I'm going to hit you over the head with it," Zabuza grunted out as the young blonde tossed the pole into its resting pole and proceeded to jump up and down on the wooden bench hoping to get a better view.

"What do you see Naruto?" Sakura asked as her and Haku walked over to the back end of the boat.

"I…I…" Naruto continued to jump feverishly, "I can't see it!"

"There is nothing out there," Zabuza said as he sat back in his seat and began to pick up his pole for the third time.

"But I saw…" Before Naruto could finish his sentence a giant push caused the boat to rock to its side.

"Easy Naruto," Haku said as he reached out and grabbed the boy by his black overcoat to prevent him from falling on an irritated Zabuza. "I don't think you want to fall on Zabuza," he finished with a smile.

"I could have handled it!" Naruto shouted as his face turned bright red in embarrassment.

"What was that?" Sakura asked Zabuza.

"Probably a sea creature passing by," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Then why didn't we ca…" Naruto was cut off again by another violent push from the sea.

The reoccurrence caused Zabuza to stand from his sitting position. He stared at Haku as he grabbed his seven foot long sword, "Haku, get the rope."

"Right," Haku effortlessly jumped over the wooden benches and headed for the opposite side of the boat, where a giant pile of rope was stored. He grabbed the rope and wrapped it around the curved tip of the boat.

In one hop, Zabuza was on the other side of the small boat, staring at the crystal clear water, looking for the creature that dared to mess with his ship. "Hook the rope. When I give the signal dive into that water and tie that creature."

Naruto and Sakura joined Zabuza's side watching the water as well, looking for any type of movement to help them catch the animal that could essentially send their boat sinking to the bottom of the sea. Naruto stood on his toes, trying to bring his face over the banister and closer to the water, "where did it go?"

"The key is to be patient," Haku whispered as he balanced on the edge of the boat, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

"Why do we always have to wait?" Naruto whined.

"Come on Naruto," Sakura placed her hand and ruffled his hair, "it's not that bad."

"But Sis…" his attention drifted away from Sakura as bubbles began to rise to the surface, "guys! Look!"

"Get ready," Zabuza said as he slowly pulled his sword over his head.

The four of them watched with anticipation as the air bubbles began to increase in number and size. Naruto leaned his face closer to the water while Sakura held onto the back of his shirt to make sure he wouldn't fall into the seawater. Zabuza stood tall as sweat poured down the back of his thick neck, waiting for the right moment to stab the beast with his sword. Haku, however, wrapped the thick, tough, rope around his hand waiting to hook the animal in his line.

"Ready…set…" Before Zabuza could finish the order, a small wave splashed over the ledge of the boat. The sudden invasion of water caused Zabuza to take a step back from the ledge and caused Haku to lean backwards and balance on the balls of his feet.

"Whoa!" Naruto shouted in amazement as the water came crashing down onto him. Sakura and he stood their ground as the sea drenched their clothes from head to toe. The laughter from Naruto echoed across the quiet sea.

"Fuck it, go get it Haku!" Zabuza commanded as he used his sword to point towards the ocean.

Haku looked over to the sea as soon as the wave turned into a puddle inside their boat. _Well this is different. _What he saw caused him to jump off the ledge of the boat and gently place the iron hook and rope back to its corner.

"Well I'll be damned," Zabuza said in surprise as he retracted his sword and placed it against the side of the boat.

"They're…." Haku began to say as he walked over to the other side of the boat.

"Sea turtles…" Sakura finished Haku's sentence as the four of them stared in astonishment at the massive size of the dark green turtle's shells.

"What are they doing so close to shore?" Haku asked as he stared into their dark transparent black eyes.

The two sea turtles stared at the humans, unaffected by their presence. Their larger than normal eyes scanned each human until they subconsciously stared in Sakura's direction. Sakura watched as they continued to stare at her. She admired the size of their dark brown shell covered in bumps, _it's almost like a person can sit on their shells. _It was in that moment that Sakura had another feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Naruto," she called out as her eyes never left the turtles.

"Yeah Sis?" He looked away from the huge turtles and stared at his sister waiting for her to speak. _These turtles are huge! _

"Try to sit on them."

"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed as he looked between Sakura and the turtles. _Is she crazy?! They won't let me get close to them!_

"Try it," she encouraged him as she turned away from the turtles and flashed a smile.

"Are you sure?" Unfortunately for Naruto, Sakura didn't give him a choice, for she lifted him by his shirt and placed him at the edge of the boat.

"Just walk on their back, you'll be okay," as she watched Naruto timidly walked over to the turtles her mind was racing with questions. _Why am I having Naruto sit on these turtles? Why aren't they running away? _

"Hey…this is kinda fun!" Naruto flashed them a thumbs-up as he managed to step on top of one of the turtle's shells.

"This is odd, sea turtles don't come near humans," Haku exclaimed.

"Look at me!" Naruto finally had gathered enough courage to jump from one turtle to another, enjoying the feeling of their shells against his sandals.

Sakura smiled as she watched her younger brother have the time of his life. He jumped back and forth between the turtles; at one point they began to separate from each other allowing Naruto to jump a further distance. _As long as Naruto is having fun, I can be happy for that. _A loving smile spilled across her lips as Naruto stopped jumping and began to pat the head of the turtle he stood on top of.

"Thanks Sis! This was an awesome idea!" Naruto shouted to her as the turtles rotated in the water and brought Naruto back to the boat.

"No problem," Sakura answered as she grabbed his hand and helped him back into the boat.

As soon as Naruto's foot left the turtle's shell, the two mysterious sea creatures began to swim into the horizon. Haku and Zabuza watched with perplexed looks while Naruto waved as they left, "thank you turtles! That was cool!"

The pink haired teen watched the strange sea turtles leave her eye sight. She gently waved at their backs as a sudden feeling of familiarity swam in her gut. _Bye sea turtles, _she said in her mind, _thank you for showing Naruto a wonderful time._

"Now that that is over, let's get back to fishing," Zabuza said as he slipped into his seat and grabbed his pole once again.

"Are you kidding Zabuza? We aren't done yet?" Naruto complained as he obediently sank into his seat and grabbed his fishing pole once Zabuza gave him an intimidating glare.

"Unless you want to be swimming with sharks, shut up and fish squirt," Zabuza explained.

"No, no sharks!" Naruto said as he quickly sat up straight, staring at the ocean and waiting for a fish to bite the dead worm attached to his hook.

* * *

The brilliant orange sun began to descend into the horizon, casting an amber hue on the back of Zabuza's boat. Zabuza sat in his seat while rowing towards the coastline of Konoha, admiring the way the darkening ocean danced around the reflection of the sun, trying to engulf the light into its darkness.

"I see Konoha!" Naruto shouted with an upbeat smile across his face. _This is so cool! _His energetic blue eyes watched as the large wooden ships from earlier began to emerge into his view. _Why are there two people standing at the edge? _Naruto stood on top of the wooden bench and narrowed his eyes towards the two standing figures that waited at the edge of the port.

As everyone, except Naruto, began to push and pull the ores faster through the water Naruto's vision began to identify the figures in the distance. _Oh no! We're in trouble! _Naruto jumped off of his bench and sprinted towards Sakura, who was sitting on the right side of the boat rowing in sync with Haku and Zabuza.

"Sis! We have a problem!" Naruto exclaimed as he waved his small hands in the air frantically.

Sakura continued her rowing motion while she examined Naruto's worried expression, "what's wrong Naruto?" She looked into his eyes hoping to find the answer to her question.

"They're waiting for us!" He shouted, giving her no indication of what he was referring to.

"Who is waiting for you?" Haku asked, analyzing the situation.

Naruto looked behind him as the marina began to move closer and closer to their boat and then back towards a very calm Sakura, "bushy brows! Bushy brows and that weird guy with white eyes are standing there!" He pointed to the east.

"Bushy brows?" Zabuza had to control the blunt laugh that wanted to escape his mouth. _The nicknames this squirt creates never fails to amuse me._

Sakura looked towards the direction of Naruto's finger only to see a tall bright green blob and an even taller but less colorful blob standing next to each other. _Oh crap, _was the first thought that entered Sakura's mind as they continued to get closer to Konoha.

Within minutes, Sakura and Naruto found themselves face-to-face with a very infuriated man dressed head-to-toe in the color green and a more emotionless man dressed in the typical black breeches and green vest with a light tan undershirt underneath. Haku stared at the two young men with guarded eyes as he quickly jumped out of the boat and tied the rope that floated in the water around the curved end of the vessel. Zabuza stood up, dropped the anchor over the side of the boat, grabbed his intimidating sword, and jumped onto the boardwalk. Haku joined Zabuza's side as the two of them stared at the two unwelcomed teenaged boys.

"You guys are on the wrong side of town," Zabuza said as he placed his sword on the side of his body, showing off its massive size to the young boys. "Standing on my port is not a smart move to make."

"I would listen to him if I were you," Haku warned as he reached inside his grey linen shirt to reveal a short bladed katana. "We don't welcome unwelcomed guests."

Sakura and Naruto sat in the boat, watching the scene unfold before their very eyes. Naruto poked Sakura's elbow, causing her to turn her attention towards him, "Sis…what do you think Zabuza and Haku will do?"

"I'm not sure…but it's more fun to watch, don't you think?" Sakura giggled lightly as she turned her attention back to the tension-filled encounter.

The man dressed in head-to-toe green apparel began to shake with anger. His thicker than normal black eyebrows began to meet at the center of his face, while his white bandaged hands began to curl into tight fists, "we are the unwelcomed guests?" His beady black eyes looked behind Haku only to stare at the nearly naked Sakura, "you are the ones who have captured my innocent flower! Look what you did to her!" He pointed to Sakura as he continued on, "she has wilted thanks to your rough handling!"

Zabuza stared at the weird teen with an imaginable expression, "what?" _Did this weird teenage boy just scold me? _He suddenly felt the need to thrash his sword deep into the annoying boy's gut to rise with each passing minute.

"Lee, shut up," an emotionless voice called out.

"But Neji! You can't tell me you agree with how they handed our dear Sakura!"

Neji watched with calculating white eyes as the older muscular man and young teen stood between them and Sakura. He could see Sakura out of the corner of his eye, watching the exchange with enjoyment written on her face. _You never know when to quit, huh Sakura?_ He could feel the taller man's annoyance escalade with every word that passed through Lee's lips, _if he doesn't shut up this man will feed him to the sharks. _With a short sigh, Neji placed his hand on Lee's shoulder and pushed him backwards, "we are here for Sakura, nothing more."

Zabuza paid no attention to Neji and turned his back on them. He looked in the boat to see a smirking Sakura and a nearly laughing Naruto, "you know them?" His eyes narrowed at Sakura, highly annoyed by her inability to prevent his meaningless encounter.

"Oh don't get angry Zabuza," Sakura rose to her feet and jumped out of the boat, "I didn't have the heart to interrupt you."

His black eyes narrowed down at Sakura as he raised his sword over his head. The sudden motion caused Lee and Neji to stiffen.

"Sakura, watch out!" Lee was about ready to pounce on Zabuza but Neji's tight grip around the back of his vest prevented his movements.

"You're more trouble than you're worth Sakura," Zabuza finished as he slipped his sword around the manmade holster tied against his back.

"Sorry Zabuza," Sakura said as she placed her petite hand against his shoulder, "thanks for showing Naruto and I a great time!"

Zabuza sighed as he patted the top of her head, "yeah, whatever," he finished as he watched Naruto jump out of his boat and follow Sakura towards their new arrivals.

"Yeah, it was awesome Zabuza!" Naruto shouted as he shot the man his cheesy smile.

Haku stood still as Sakura and Naruto stopped by his side. He looked down at Sakura as she engulfed him in a hug, "thanks for everything Haku, hopefully Naruto and I can visit you again soon," she softly said as Haku returned her hug.

"You can visit any time you like Sakura," he told her as Sakura separated from his embrace and walked over towards Lee and Neji.

"See ya around Haku!" Naruto gave Haku a jumping high five.

"Likewise Naruto," Haku smiled as he watched Sakura and Naruto disappear into the sunset.

* * *

Lee was the first to speak as soon as they entered the forest path back to the center of town. "Oh Sakura what happened to you?" He ran to her side and grabbed her unsuspecting hand into his own. His eyes could not stop staring at the amount of skin she was revealing. _My poor flower! What did they do to make you suffer?_

"It's nothing Lee," Sakura reassured him as she placed her free hand over his. "Naruto and I got into…a little bit of a scuffle, but we came out fine. Isn't that right Naruto?" Sakura called out to Naruto, who was walking beside Neji.

"Oh yeah! Sis kicked some major butt!" He exclaimed as his eyes stared at Lee's hands holding onto Sakura. _Now can he stop holding Sis's hand?_

"It was those sailors wasn't it?" Lee didn't allow Sakura to answer his question before he came to a slamming halt, holding Sakura's hands tightly against his own, "I will go back there and defend your honor!"

"No, no, no! Lee it wasn't them!" Sakura tried to explain to him but the desire to defend Sakura burned too deeply in his eyes for him to register anything she said.

"Wait here and I will return!" The energetic teen was able to walk two steps before Sakura placed her hands around his upper arm. This sudden change in contact caused Lee to stop in his place, the feeling of her soft warm hands against his bare skin nearly caused his face to burn tomato red. _She's touching me…it feels…it feels so comforting…so warm._

"Lee please don't attack Zabuza and Haku, they are my friends, they didn't do anything to hurt me," her soft voice tickled against his ear, causing the teen to grow weak in the knees.

"I-If that i-is your wish Sakura," Lee managed to speak regardless of the rushing emotions and feelings that had suddenly invaded his body and mind. _Don't look her in the eyes, don't look in her eyes, _he tried to prevent himself from growing weaker but his body couldn't resist turning his head to stare deep into her glistening emerald orbs. _Oh she looks like an angel! _Lee found himself hypnotized by her eyes, finding himself easily getting lost in the pools of green that looked back at him.

"Thank you Lee," she removed her hands from his arm and spun on the balls of her feet, "I'm assuming my dad asked you guys to come find us?"

Neji watched with an emotionless expression and nodded his head, answering Sakura's question, as he took the lead and followed beside Sakura. "You're father ordered us to find Naruto and you."

_Oh how dare you steal her away from me Neji! _Lee watched with pain in his eyes as his ultimate rival stole his one and only love away. _I will battle you for Sakura's heart Neji and my youthfulness will allow me to beat you. _With determination flowing through his veins he followed the two of them while making sure Naruto was close by his side. _I must make sure Naruto is safe as well, he is someone Sakura holds very dear, if I want to stand a chance I have to do things Neji would never do. _His mind began to scheme of ways he would sweep Sakura off her feet.

"Is he mad?" Sakura asked Neji as they passed Konoha's center of town.

Neji remained quiet for a few moments before he spoke, "mad would be an understatement Sakura," his eyes quickly scanned her beaten body before he continued, "and it will increase once he sees the condition you're in."

Sakura sighed, "I had a feeling he would find out where I took Naruto."

"Good luck trying to charm your way out of this mess," he told her as he watched Sakura stick her tongue out in-between her small pink lips.

"It's going to take a lot more than charm to calm him down…I don't get it…we were having fun…" Sakura looked down at her bare feet as they pounded against the soft grass.

"Your definition of fun differs from everyone else's," Neji said as he placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to make her feel better.

She looked up from the ground and gave Neji a thankful smile, "if I remember correctly, you also enjoyed my adventures," she reminded him.

"Hn," was all Neji allowed himself to say.

"You can't deny it Neji," Sakura smirked as she lightly punched him on the shoulder, "you were the only one that would try to catch the flying dragon with me."

The emotionless teen looked at Sakura through the corner of his eyes, refusing to admit to the games she managed to con him into playing during their school days. _She made school bearable and more interesting, but if I admit that I will never live it down._

"Come on Neji, don't…"

Before Sakura could finish her sentence Lee happily interrupted their conversation, "it looks like we have arrived at your home."

"Finally!" Naruto cried out, "I can't wait to eat some ramen!" As quickly as Naruto spoke, he slammed open the door and sprinted into the home looking for Sarutobi's cooking. _Ramen here I come! _

Sakura turned her back on the opened door and smiled at her two friends, "thanks for walking us home guys, I'll see you later!" She waved at them before she turned around and sprinted off into the home. "Wait for me Naruto!"

Neji and Lee stood outside the house even after Sakura shut the door behind her. Lee looked to Neji as a small shiver rolled down his spine, "how much trouble do you think Sakura will get into?"

"A lot," _I have never seen the Governor as irritated as he was this afternoon. _The image of Sarutobi's red face and slightly shaking hands caused Neji to feel slightly uncomfortable around the normally calm leader of their country.

"I hope she will be okay."

"Let's leave before we get dragged into the argument," Neji ordered as he turned his back on the house and proceeded to walk back towards town.

"Right," Lee commented as he followed Neji back towards their side of town.

* * *

_I have never seen Dad that angry before, _Sakura told herself as she grabbed long black skin-tight pants and shirt out of her closet. _His entire body was shaking…even Naruto was a little freaked out by Dad's mood._ She grabbed onto her necklace as she thought back to earlier that evening. _He even went as far as assigning me an escort until he "trusts" me again. _The annoyed teen pulled off the remaining piece of her golden dress and slipped into her training clothes. She gently placed the left pant leg over her bandaged wound and slowly slid the pants around her waist. _He was even more furious when he saw my dress…or lack thereof. _Emerald eyes looked down at the black shirt and pulled it over her head.

"You were told to never go to the marina," she said in a deep tone, trying to mimic her father's words. "It's unsafe for women and young boys, you could have been seriously hurt," Sakura groaned out in frustration as she stomped over to her mirror and grabbed a small circular piece of rope and tied her hair into a high ponytail, allowing her side bangs to just barely skim across the top of her left eyebrow.

"Whatever Dad," Sakura sighed as she slipped on her navy dyed sandals. "At least the Black Market is in town tonight," she walked over to her giant bay window and pushed it open. "I'll be able to find out more about the Akatsuki, I heard from Shikamaru that there are new books that have recently been put on the market." The idea of a night full of illegal exchanges caused Sakura to slowly forget about the tension between her and her father.

"Goodbye room," Sakura called out as she flung one leg out of the window.

However, before Sakura could get both feet out of her room, a small knock came from her door. _Crap. _Sakura pulled herself back into her room and shut the window. She quickly ran over to the door and opened it just a crack.

To her surprise, Naruto, who dressed in a bright orange satin pants and night shirt, stood outside her door. Sakura opened the door wider and squatted down to his eye level. "Naruto, what are you still doing up?" She watched him as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and clutched onto his stuffed fox.

"I…" he rubbed his eyes with his free hand one more time before he continued, "I wanted to see if you were okay," he whispered.

"Oh Naruto," Sakura pulled the ten year old child into her arms and held him tight, "you don't need to worry about me."

"I have never seen Sarutobi mad like that before," Naruto said into her shoulder as he wrapped his small arms around her neck. "It was scary."

"He wasn't mad at you Naruto, he was mad at me for putting you in danger," she pulled away from him and lightly patted his spikey golden hair. "I don't want you worrying your pretty little head over me, okay?"

Naruto stared at Sakura with a worried expression, _she isn't allowing that guy to follow her forever, is she? _His azure eyes admired Sakura's new attire, causing him to completely loose his previous train of thought. "Where are you going Sis?"

Sakura froze as he continued to stare at her all black clothing. "Hurry, get in," Sakura lightly pulled Naruto into her room and gently shut the door, to prevent their father from hearing anything.

"You're going somewhere we aren't allowed to go aren't you?" Naruto watched as Sakura fidgeted in front of her. _Where could she be going? _His eyes flickered to the darkness outside her windows, _it's so dark out, is there anything out there she can do?_

"Please don't say anything to Dad!" Sakura begged as she got down on her knees and prayed to Naruto, "I will do anything you ask!"

"Anything?" Naruto stroked the bottom of his chin as he watched Sakura nod her head continuously.

"Yes, anything!"

"Take me with you," Naruto said with a cheesy smile.

_Is he serious? _Sakura felt her body sit onto her butt as she watched her younger brother blackmail her to take him along for the ride. _He doesn't care where we are going and he wants to come along? _The idea of Naruto walking around the Black Market caused Sakura to feel a little uneasy. _After what happened today, if I take him along I will have to be extra prepared. _With a defeated sigh, Sakura stood onto her two feet and nodded her head, "okay Naruto I'll take you."

"Yahoo!" Naruto cheered as he tossed his fox into the air and caught it in his two hands. "Wait…where are we going?"

Sakura walked over to her closet and pulled the door open, "are you sure you want to know?" Sakura asked with hidden excitement as she pictured Naruto's scared or stunned facial expression in the back of her mind.

"You can't keep it from me Sis," Naruto told her in a factual manner as he waited for her to come out of the closet.

When she emerged from the closet she walked over to Naruto and placed a small black shirt and pants in his hands, "put these on, this way no one will figure out that we are the governor's children."

"Oh, oaky," Naruto grabbed the clothes and quickly dashed into her closet, changing into the attire she ordered him to wear. He stepped out of the closet and stared at the mirror near Sakura's bed. _I look…_he reached out to touch the skin-tight material and pulled it away from his body. _I look so weird! _His hand quickly released the material and watched with fascination as it recoiled and suctioned back against his skin. "Are we going somewhere top secret?"

Sakura giggled as Naruto dropped his fox and began to sprint around her room, rolling around the floor, acting like he was hiding from criminals. "You could say that. Remember that place I told you about?"

Naruto stopped his advances on the imaginary enemy as he tried to recall the place Sakura was referring to, "uh…you mean the place…"

"What's that place where merchants try to get people to buy their things for a lot of money?" Sakura asked, trying to help Naruto figure out exactly where they were headed.

"The place with merchants…" Naruto tried his hardest to remember the name of this place and then, suddenly, it hit him, "THE BLACK MARKET!" He cried out in happiness. _Yes! Wahoo! _

"Shush, shush Naruto!" Sakura tried to decrease the level of shouting that was managing to bust out of his mouth, "if we want to make it out of this house without Dad noticing we have to be quiet!" She told him as she raised a finger to the middle of her lips.

"Oh!" Naruto immediately closed his mouth and nodded his head obediently, "yes ma'am!" He whispered as he stood up straight and waited for her orders. "When do we leave?"

"Now," Sakura said as she waved for Naruto to follow her to one of her bay windows.

She pulled her window back to allow the cool night breeze to fan across their faces, "just hold onto my back okay?" Sakura bent down and allowed Naruto to climb onto her back.

"Okay!" Naruto tightened his legs around her waist and his arms circled around her neck, securing himself for the unknown.

"Hold on tight," she whispered to him as she climbed onto the window. The spry teenaged girl sank deep into the back of her heels and placed both hands on the side of her body. "Ready…and…go!" she encouraged herself as she sprang from the window sill and soared through the air.

_Whoa! _Naruto watched with excitement as Sakura landed gracefully on the gigantic oak tree a few feet outside her window. "That was awesome!"

"We aren't done," Sakura told him as she placed her hands under his thighs and began to slither down the many tree branches until her feet came in contact with the ground. "And we're out," she finished with a smile.

"How did you do that?" Naruto easily climbed off her back and stood at her side, his eyes sparkling with admiration and curiosity. _I have the best sister in Konoha!_

"I'll teach you the trick when you're older," she stuck her tongue out as she began to walk down the dirt path away from their home.

"Awe! Come on Sis! Why not now?" He cried out as he followed her down the path and into the town of Konoha.

"Because, it requires a certain skill," Sakura informed him as they weaved in and out of the many tree branches that covered the pathway that would lead them to Konoha.

"What kind of skill?" Naruto asked as he lifted an oak tree's branch away from the top of his head while watching the roots that threatened to wrap around his feet.

"Hm…" Sakura placed her small index finger and thumb at the bottom of her chin as she thoughtfully tapped her index finger against her chin, "…I guess it's…" the rustling in the trees caused Sakura to stop talking.

"What was that?" Naruto unknowingly walked closer to Sakura's side.

_It came from over there. _Sakura pulled out a long thin iron knife and placed it between her index and middle finger, her body looking towards the east where the sound came from. "Naruto, stay close," she ordered, not allowing the same incident, that happened earlier, to happen again.

Narrowed jade eyes scanned the east, looking for another movement within the trees. _Come on, I know you're out there. _Her body became tense as her trained eyes caught a slight shadow that shifted between the trees. _No you don't. _Sakura pulled her arm and hand back towards the side of her body, her eyes never left the slight shadow she was tracking. She patiently waited as the shadow continued to travel west before she swiftly spun on her left foot and used a mixture of momentum and force to throw her knife into the trees.

"Did you get it?" Naruto asked as he continued to stand close to Sakura while he stared off into the forest waiting to hear some type of noise.

"You should fix your aim," a slightly deep voice came from the woods as the sound of snapping tree branches followed.

Sakura felt her stiffened position relaxed. She looked down to Naruto to see him taking a few more steps away from her with his hands crossed over his chest. "It's only you Neji," she said with relief. "Wait…what's wrong with my aim?" She raised her voice.

The hidden man emerged from the shadows, his long black hair reached the middle of his back in a loose ponytail, his bangs framed the boarder of his face, while his well-built muscular body was covered in a tan skin-tight shirt and baggy, blue dyed, linen pants. His wooden sandals lightly echoed in the forest as he came to a graceful stop in front of Sakura and Naruto. "You missed my face," he told her as slight anger flashed in his eyes.

"Oh did I?" Sakura nearly smirked as she understood exactly where her knife landed. "I think I was accurate with my throw," she told him as she walked up to his side and grabbed his hair. "I always wanted this hair to be cut," she used her other hand and grabbed her own shoulder-length strawberry colored hair, "it's longer than mine!"

"Ha, ha, ha! Sis is right Neji! You look like a girl!" Naruto began to laugh out loud as he saw the comparison.

Sakura could feel his hidden anger radiating off his body as she continued to gently pull his precious hair away from his body, "I mean really Neji, how do you manage this thing?"

The normally quiet, calm, Neji could feel his anger rising. _She can never take a hint. Faith is cruel. _He turned to his side and captured her hand with his own, "let go," he said as he face was mere inches away.

"Are you afraid I'll cut it?" Sakura teased as she took back her knife from his other hand and slowly brought it to his hair.

"That won't happen," his white eyes with specs of lavender stared into her playful orbs before his body tensed slightly as the closeness of the knife.

_Does he really think I would cut his hair? _Sakura could feel Neji tense beside her and withdrew the knife, "you're lucky Naruto and I are on a top secret errand," she returned the knife back to her side pouch and took a step back, putting space between their close bodies.

"You're going to the Black Market," Neji commented as he continued to hold Sakura's attention.

Naruto stopped laughing at Neji's blunt comment and ran in-between the two teens, "how did you figure it out?" He looked to Sis with worry in his confused azure eyes, "what do we do now! Our cover is blown!"

"You can't stop us," Sakura told him with a wink.

"Hn," Neji averted his gaze to the path ahead of them and took the empty spot next to Sakura's right side, an action he had done countless of times.

"You're going to let him come with us?" Naruto whined, annoyed that Neji intruded on their special event. _Stupid Neji, always ruining the fun._

"Don't worry Naruto, Neji will be a good boy," Sakura patted his head and took the first step towards the border between her property and the beginning of Konoha.

* * *

Naruto walked in silence as Sakura walked through the empty streets of his home town. The massive square that always possessed endless amounts of citizens either running home, away from merchants, or merchants running after customers were nonexistent. Houses that lined the center of town were pitch blac inside. The typical noisy, chaotic streets that he could hear from his school playground were as silent as death. _This is kinda spooky. _Naruto could feel his stomach twist and turn at the unbearable quietness that haunted them. He looked up at Sakura, watching her bravely walk through the vacant roads, _is she sure this Black Market thing is even here? _

"Oh my young flower!" An energetic voice echoed loudly through the streets, causing an unsuspecting Naruto to jump.

"Ah!" Naruto yelled as he spun around and attempted to punch the loud man.

Neji and Sakura turned around to see their childhood friend Lee, still dressed in his leaf green leather pants and cotton shirt, easily catch Naruto's punch. "Now Naruto, although you show much youthful spirit, you don't need to punch me. I am protecting the same flower you are protecting," Lee calmed down the exasperated Naruto by patting the top of his head.

Naruto glared at Lee and quickly withdrew his hand away from his fist. _Having bushy brows here is even worse! Why can't they leave Sis and me alone? _

"Lee," Sakura smiled in his direction, "what are you doing out here?"

The boy in question quickly walked over to Sakura and grabbed her hands, "what am I doing?" He looked down to see her covered in her classic mischievous-making black clothing, "what are you doing here? It is not a fit time for a young youthful woman like you to be roaming the streets."

"She's not," Neji interjected, watching with hidden amusement as Lee glared in his direction. "We're going to the Black Market."

"WHAT?!" Lee took a giant step back as he pulled Sakura back towards the way she came, "that is not a safe place at all! You must go home before the Governor finds you there! He will get so mad at me if he knew I let you go in harm's way!"

"Lee," Sakura placed her hands on his bare arms and slammed her feet against the stone path. The sudden action caused Lee to halt mid-stride, "I need to find a book. You have to let us go. Please?" Sakura begged him, "you can come with us too," she encouraged.

"Uh," Lee felt his body heat increase as Sakura inched closer towards him waiting to hear his answer. His black beady eyes shifted towards Neji, who stood calm and collected. _He's always calm. _He looked down to see Sakura's hopeful eyes staring back at him. _I can't say no to her youthful face. _The sudden spell Sakura had placed over Lee had him unable to say no. "Sure, I'll come," he said in a near whisper.

"Yahoo!" Sakura grabbed Lee and pulled him into a tight hug, "thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Uh huh," Lee stood there unmoving at the realization that Sakura's body was pressed up against his own. The warmth of her body he could feel through their clothes, and with her strangely strong embrace he could feel her breasts press into his chest.

"Are we ever going to get there?" Naruto asked as he continued to glare at Lee.

"Of course Naruto!" Sakura quickly unhooked her arms around Lee's neck and positioned herself in-between them. "The Black Market is…" she turned her back and stared off into the dark narrow alleyways that stood between Sarutobi's Tower and a stonewalled area full of abandoned homes. "…right through here!" She grabbed onto Naruto's hand and proceeded to skip towards the portentous alleyway.

"Sakura, wait for us!" Lee shouted as he ran off to catch up with the spontaneous woman.

Neji wordlessly walked after his more energetic friends. _This will be interesting. _He looked up at the dark clouds that draped over the city, causing the darkened town to become even more ominous.

* * *

"Whoa!" Naruto stared at the end of the dark alleyway with an opened mouth. _This is so cool! _He looked back at the dark alleyway Sakura pushed him through and felt confidence surge through his body. _Take that dark scary alley, I wasn't afraid of you! _He stuck his tongue out quickly before he turned himself around to stare back at the intense sight before him.

The young boy watched as merchants sat against moveable wooden built shops. They were not like the merchants he was used to seeing at the Konoha square. These merchants carried strange sharp weapons he had never seen before. They did not lunge at people as they walked by, instead they would continue playing with their weapons paying no attention to those who walked past their shop. Naruto even recognized some of the sailors from the boardwalk walking around from store to store, carrying linen bags full of merchandize.

"What's that?" Naruto pointed out as he watched a hefty, stout, sized man walk past them carrying a copper mace with iron throwing stars that protruded from the very top of the malicious weapon.

Sakura watched in fascination as the man-made weapon passed them. "The Black Market is a place where merchants gather illegal items to sell to anyone that might be interested. Most of the time merchants are blacksmiths that create their own weapon that are considered illegal in the government's eyes. Other things like royal gems, banned books, and even illegal food are sold in a place like this," she recited the exact definition she learned from a book she found on Zabuza's desk. _That was the first and only time he allowed me in his store by myself._

"Thugs," Neji interjected as he listened to Sakura's definition of the scum-infested market. _Governors from all nations frown upon markets like this. It feeds into pirates and their mindless tactics. _He watched as Sakura pulled both Lee and Naruto towards a vendor that sold sharp weapons that caught her eye. _To this day, I haven't figured out why Sakura is interested in them. They are brainless thugs that kill for treasure. _He began to walk towards them, but kept his distance, his eyes never stopped looking around at the men that passed between him and his group of friends.

"Yous wanna buy some swords?" The seller pulled several different maces from his wooden barrel and laid them out for Lee, Naruto, and Sakura to see.

"Oh no, we are full of youthful weapons just like those," Lee tried to politely decline.

"You sayin' my swords ain't unique?!" The merchant yelled.

"They are!" Lee tried to recover from his comment as he placed his hands up and waved them in front of his body, "we just have too much to carry!"

"You scrawny pretty boy, I show you how much you can carry!" The irate seller submerged his callused hand into the barrel and pulled out a large five foot long copper mace with sharp knives protruding all around the top. The long sandy blonde haired man waved the weapon in Lee's face as he continued to scream, "let's go you littl' snot!"

Sakura watched as the merchant began to advance towards Lee. _Now's my chance to get away from these two, _she looked back to see Neji walking over to the screaming man, _as long as this guy can keep Neji and Lee distracted for a few more minutes I'll be in the clear. _

"Should we…help bushy brows?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Come on Naruto," Sakura grabbed his hand, "now's our chance."

"Chance for what?" Naruto looked up at his older sister with a perplexed expression.

"This is our chance to sneak away from Lee and Neji," Sakura could feel his questionable stare; she quickly looked down at him and gave him an encouraging wink.

"Sweet!" Naruto said with excitement as he tightened his grip on her hand and prepared his body to run.

"Alright, then just follow me," she told him as she felt his hand wrap around hers. Without a second thought, Sakura and Naruto vanished into the crowd of sailors before Neji or Lee figured out they had vanished.

"What are we looking for?" Naruto asked as he danced around random men that crossed his path.

"I'm looking for a book," Sakura told him as her eyes scanned the all-too-familiar layout.

"A book…?"

"It's about pirates," Sakura began to explain as she gently guided Naruto towards a small wooden shop at the very end of the market covered in dark shadows, "but not just about any type of pirate, it's about the most notorious group that has ever sailed the ocean."

"What group is that?" Naruto had never heard much about pirates before, every time Sakura would begin to tell him a story Sarutobi would suddenly appear and yell at her.

"A group called Akatsuki," she finished right as they walked up towards the entrance of the small shop.

"Akat…" Sakura placed her hand in front of Naruto's body, trying to discontinue his statement.

Naruto looked up to see Sakura shaking her head in his direction. _Why can't I say there name? _Naruto followed closely behind her while they weaved around the small stand. _What are pirates?_

"Aye, little lady and boy, what can I do for you?" An elderly man, who was hunched over, shuffled towards the pair and flashed them a toothless friendly smile.

"We're just browsing," Sakura answered with a friendly smile.

The elderly man leaned against the side of the small wooden stand and watched them circle around him. _What they looking for? _His quiet-self observed Sakura as she thumbed through various books that rested against his shelf.

Her hands fanned across spines of books ranging from paper-thin to inches thick. Emerald eyes scanned pages with intense speed. _There is no time to waste; I have to find that book. _Sakura thought as she closed the dusty book and placed it back on the pine shelf. _One more look around and I'll move to the next shop, _she told herself as her anxious hands grabbed another book and cracked open the ancient writing.

" 'Cuse me miss, but whatcha lookin' for?" The old man asked as curiosity continued to grow inside. _She's looked throu' all my books._

Sakura looked away from the book that rested in her hands and stared at the inching man. His bald head possess a dull shine while his wrinkly body rippled towards her, each section of skin dangled and swayed with each step he took. "I'm looking for a book," she began as she placed the book down and turned her body to face him, "it's one that has just recently entered your Market." She stared intently at his aged grey eyes, searching for a sign of recognition.

"Hm…a new one?" The man brought his warped fingers to his hairless chin and began to stroke the sagging skin intently, "what's it to ya?" he finished with narrowing eyes.

"Maybe we should try another place," Naruto told Sakura as he pulled at her black shirt.

Sakura shot Naruto a small smirk before she patted him on the shoulder, "just watch what happens," she told him as she sidestepped around him and gave the man a positive smile. "What's the book to you?" She said back.

The old man chuckled at her antics, "ha, ha, yous clever lady," he waved his misshapen finger at her. "Wait here," he advised her as he quickly scanned the area before he shuffled over to the other side of the small shop.

He repeatedly looked over his shoulder before he began to move around the small pile of books that rested against a small square table. His shaking hands moved a small stack of books onto the other side of the small table. With part of the table revealed to the night sky, the aged man reached underneath the table and pulled out a small butcher's knife. He grasped the handle of the knife and stuck the razor sharp blade into the wooden plank and with every ounce of strength he had left he pried the board loose. The sound of wood cracking filled the air as he quickly hid the knife back under the table and reached into the small dark secret compartment. For a moment, the man stared at the sinister black cover that possessed no title, he looked back at the patiently waiting Sakura and Naruto and then he tucked the valuable book underneath his overly large cotton t-shirt.

"How do you know he has it Sis?" Naruto asked as he tried to stand on his toes to see what the old man was doing.

"I don't…but by the way he didn't immediately dismiss us tells me he has something," Sakura whispered to him as she watched the man begin to slide across the dirt back towards where they stood.

"Yous didn't get it from me," he began to say as he lifted up his shirt and hurriedly shoved it into her hands. "That book was put in my hands four sunrises ago and eva' since…" before the man could finish his sentence footsteps were head. "Fuck, yous must…"

"Father, what did I tell you?" An angered voice shouted from behind.

"Aye sonny, yous were suppos' to be back lata'!" The old man chuckled uncomfortably.

The son looked at his ancient father with disgust, "listen better," he grunted as he stared at Sakura who was holding the book. "Give that book back," he growled out as he placed his hand out in front of him.

Naruto looked up to his sister as he got ready to jump into action. _I won't freeze like last time! _He told himself as his body grew tense as the man walked closer towards them.

Sakura pulled the book closer to her body and began to wave it at her side, "sorry, but it belongs to me now," she said.

"Over my dead body," the man reached behind his back and pulled out a four foot long katana sword. His amber eyes narrowed at Sakura as his stout body began to crouch down into a more offensive position.

Sakura watched as the man's feet spread wide and his thick legs began to bend at the knee. His sausage-thick fingers gripped around the handle of the metal katana with anger while his eyes never looked away. His bald head matched his father's as he used his other hand to wipe the imaginary moisture off the top of his bare head. "You'll have to come get it," she said with a growing smirk. _Bring it on!_

The elderly man stood beside his son in horror. _She's jus' a lady! _As his son raised the sword over his head, the elderly man grabbed his son's meaty wrists, "jus' give the lady the book. It's caused us nothin' but problems!" His grey eyes quickly shifted from his son to the young pink haired woman, desperately wishing his son would not fight the innocent woman. _She will die by my son! _The idea that his son was about to physically harm a young woman did not sit well in his stomach, the sight before him caused his fragile stomach to twist and turn in despair.

"Back off old man," the son released one hand from the sword and grabbed onto his father's wrists. Without hesitation, the man pulled his father's wrists and lifted him off the ground. "That book's worth money, you stupid old man!" His shouting continued to increase in volume until he pulled his arm back and tossed the aged man ten feet away.

"Hey! You don't do that to elders!" Naruto shouted as he watched the old man's body bounce against the dirt.

"Pipe it kid." The man turned to Sakura once again and brought his sword out in front of him, the sharp blade stood between him and Sakura. "Either give me that book…or…" The dark clouds that covered the night sky began to disappear, to reveal a full moon to shine down on the both of them. Its white light reflected against his sword, his head, and Sakura's body. His amber eyes watched as the moonlight revealed an outline of a piece of jewelry that loosely hung around her neck. _Or jewels could work, _he thought with a smirk. "How about this," he looked up at Sakura momentarily before he returned to looking at the outline against her collarbone, "give me your necklace instead."

"We won't give that to you!" Naruto shouted as he stood in front of Sakura with his arms stretched out wide, trying to act like a barrier.

"You will," his smirk grew bigger as he slowly brought the tip of the blade closer to Naruto's body, "or I'll just kill the both of you," he finished as he placed the ice cold tip of the blade against Naruto's throat.

A loud gulp emitted from Naruto's mouth, "uh…"

"You want…this?" Sakura quickly grabbed the golden chain that hung around her neck and unclasped it. Her hands quickly pulled it off her neck and brought it out in front of her, showing the bright purplish red diamond to the greedy man.

The man's eyes were as wide as oranges once he saw the type of jewel that resided in the woman's hand. "I've never seen a gem like that," he whispered to himself. "Give it here and the book and I'll let you go free!" He shouted as he pressed the tip of the sword closer to Naruto's throat.

"Ouch," Naruto whispered as the tip began to poke at the soft patch of skin under his chin.

Sakura nodded her head, "I'll give it to you if you let him go," she demanded, her kind demeanor had vanished.

"Sorry lady, but I'm just going to kill the both of you!" He shouted. His arms pulled the sword away from Naruto's neck and moved the katana over his head, "I will be rich!" He exclaimed as he used his strength to pull down the sword towards Sakura and Naruto.

"Sis, we need to move!" Naruto shouted as he watched another sword try to kill him.

Before Sakura could react a gust of wind blew between them and the insane man. "You will not touch this flower!" An spirited voice cried out.

The whirlwind of dirt quickly subsided to reveal an angered Lee skillfully blocking the man's sword with his wrapped hands. "You will have to go through the Leaf's handsome devil!" He easily used his hands and yanked the sword out of the hands of the even more flustered man.

"Bushy brows!" Naruto shouted with delight. He watched in awe as Lee demonstrated impressive strength. _I didn't know bushy brows could do that._

"Oh Lee," Sakura giggled at the nickname he gave himself. She placed a protective hand on Naruto's shoulder and gently pulled him to her side.

"Why don't we join in?" Naruto asked as a small blonde brow rose to the sky. _I want to fight like Sis and Lee, I don't want to sit and watch anymore! I want to fight! _

Sakura could see a burning desire deep in his cerulean eyes, _it looks like you're ready to start your training with Kakashi, Naruto, _Sakura thought to herself with pride. "It will be more fun to watch," she told him with a wink.

"Ah man," he grumbled as he crossed his small arms across his chest.

"You'll pay for that!" The man screamed as he reached into the leather belt around his waist and pulled out nunchucks with sharp blades on either side of the handle. The chain possessed small sharp spikes that protruded along the outside of the iron chain.

"You should have listened the first time," another voice calmly stated from behind the man.

"What?!" The shocked man turned around and came face-to-face with another man. "When did you get there? I didn't hear anything!"

"Neji! He's my opponent! You cannot take my youthful spirit away!" Lee yelled out in anger. _He always steals my opponent! _

"You'll always be last Lee," Neji said emotionlessly as he stared at the man in front of him with bone chilling emotionless eyes.

"D-Die!" The man swallowed down the instant fear that crawled through his body, when Neji looked him in the eye, and began to toss one nunchuck towards an unmoving Neji.

The young man made only slight movements as the weapon came towards his head. _This man doesn't know who he is challenging. _Neji simply twisted his body away from the nunchuck and in one step he was on the side of the irate man. His white eyes shifted towards the side of the man's face, his impassive eyes stared at the man for a second before he moved his hand to the back of the man's head.

"You won't…" The man didn't have time to turn around to defend himself, for Neji forcefully swiped his hand at the junction where the man's neck and the back of his skull connected. The sudden force caused the man to become unconscious and drop to the ground.

"Sakura, what were you thinking? Running off in a place like this is unsafe!" Lee told her as he tried to convince her how dangerous her stunt became.

"Lee, we were fine," Sakura told him nicely. _Though I'm really sick of getting yelled at today. _She could feel her anger rising, but she made sure to control it, Lee wasn't the person that deserved her outburst.

"Was it worth it?" Neji interjected as he walked back to their small circle. He looked at Sakura as unknown feelings circled inside him.

"Uh…" Sakura looked at the book that rested in her right hand and then back to the two men before her, "maybe?" she told them with a shrug of her shoulders.

"What?!" Lee nearly had a heart attack at the words that flowed out of her mouth. "Sakura, you don't even know what it is that you were fighting for?"

"Drop it Lee," Neji advised him as he watched Sakura stare at the book with a guilty expression. _More yelling will make it worse._

"Listen Sakura, you can't just pick fights…"

"Can we just go home?" Naruto noticed the sudden mood drop in Sakura and didn't want Lee to upset her anymore. "Sarutobi might have found out we left."

"You're right Naruto," Sakura said quietly as she turned on her heels, "we should head home."

"Of course…" Lee answered as he suddenly noticed the distressed mood Sakura had acquired.

Everyone followed in silence as Sakura lead the way out of the mischievous Black Market. Sakura and Naruto walked side-by-side while Neji and Lee followed behind them, watching the brute, rugged, strangers look in their direction.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura began to speak as they walked through the dark alleyway.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" Naruto stared at her with confusion written across his face.

Sakura flashed him a small grateful smile, "for trying to change the subject."

Naruto brought his hands to the back of his spikey blonde hair and showed her the liveliest smile he could muster, "it was nothing!" He began to say as his eyes crinkled from the intensity of his smile, "he, he, I knew bushy brows was annoying you. He was annoying me too."

"You're the best little brother a sister could ever ask for," Sakura said with a raising smile as she grabbed Naruto into a headlock and started to rub the top of his head with her knuckles. "Surprise attack!" She shouted.

"Sis! Let go!" Naruto screamed in protest, but her laughter was all Naruto could hear, "Neji! Bushy brows! Help! Sis is crazy!" Neji and Lee made no motion to help Naruto in his time of need, instead, the two men watched as Sakura continued to torture her little brother.

"I didn't mean to make her upset…" Lee stated sadly as his eyes traveled to the ground.

"Hn," Neji said as he watched the playful interaction between Sakura and Naruto.

"Why don't I ever listen to her words?" Lee brought his hands to his eyes and began to cry, "I'm a horrible man!"

The sound of Lee's over-exaggerated cries caused Neji to walk a little faster, which allowed him to leave Lee to his inner demons. _Why do we interact with him? _Neji looked to Sakura as she began to skip down the dark road towards the opposite side of Konoha. _This isn't the way back to the mansion. _His eyes immediately narrowed, "Sakura where are we going?" He was not in the mood for another one of her adventures.

Sakura stopped skipping and looked around. She noticed a familiar stonewall to her left. _Why are you so familiar? _She took a few more steps up the road and noticed a few town homes that resided on the other side of a fenced in residence. "I…don't know…" she answered Neji as she sprinted over to the iron gates that separated her from the inside of the quiet community.

"Neji, you know where we are right?" Lee reappeared beside his friend with sudden urgency.

"Hn," Neji studied Sakura as she wrapped her hands around the iron bars, "we leave this place right now."

"Right," Lee nodded his head in agreement as they walked with haste in their step, trying to collect both Sakura and Naruto.

"What's in there?" Sakura whispered to herself as a sense of déjà vu washed over her.

"Sakura, we must leave," Neji told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to push her towards the opposite direction.

"Why? Is something wrong?" She looked away from the complex and studied Neji's face. His eyes held a sense of urgency and concern. Two emotions Sakura had never seen before.

"I'll explain later. Lee is getting Naruto and we…"

"Naruto! Wait!" Lee's voice cut through the air like a knife was cutting through butter.

"Naruto," Sakura mumbled under her breath as she pushed Neji aside and sprinted towards Lee's body. "Lee where is Naruto!"

Lee was standing at the end of the path, watching Naruto's blonde hair disappear into the small forest that grew near the strangely quiet closed in residence area. "He said he saw something and started running."

"Did you see anything?" Neji asked as his white eyes scanned the area for any clues.

"No. He ran off too suddenly for me to catch him."

Sakura looked into the peculiar forest. _Why is this so familiar? _She shook her head violently; _no I have to focus on Naruto! He could be running into a trap! _Quickly, she reached for the hidden knife in the waistband of her leather pants, "I'm following him."

"Sakura, you can't go in there!" Lee placed a hand on her shoulder to prevent her from leaving their sight.

"Lee's right, we search for Naruto together."

Sakura turned around and glared at her two best friends, "you will not stand here and tell me what to do when it comes to my little brother! If anything happens to that kid I don't know what I would do with myself. I'm going after him, you can follow me," and with that angered filled outburst Sakura turned towards the forest and sprinted towards the direction Naruto disappeared.

"I don't think I've seen her this angry before," Lee commented.

"Let's move," Neji ordered as the two of them raced into the forest, tracking an angered Sakura and a wandering Naruto. _Sakura has never shown an outburst like that…something about this place doesn't sit well with me. We need to get out of here. _He looked around the forest as Lee and him followed Sakura's footprints in the dirt, _although my family and this family were rivals, what happened to them was a cruel hand of fate._

* * *

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled into the forest as her trained eyes searched in the greenery for any slight movements. "NARUTO!" She screamed louder.

Her quick steps dodged every tree branch and root that managed to appear. _Come on Naruto, give me a clue here! _

"Get back here you bastard!" a sudden scream caused Sakura to come to a skidding halt.

"Naruto?" She closed her eyes and waited as the sound waves entered her ears. _What direction? _Sakura waited patiently before the ending of Naruto's scream flowed through one ear and out the other. _To the east! _She wasted no time and darted towards the eastern side of the forest.

_That yell was very…unlike Naruto…_ Sakura couldn't understand why Naruto would call someone a bastard. _Though this isn't the first time I heard him speak with that language. _She thought back to a lonely dinner the two of them had, it was a night were Sarutobi had to work late. _Dad was helping the Lightning country clean up after the destruction from a pirate raid. _She and Naruto were eating ramen at the table when Naruto flung a wooden chopstick at the wall. _He was very angry that night and just kept mumbling words. _As Sakura tried to piece together the words, she found herself out of the woods and facing the other side of the stone wall. _He was saying "that bastard"! But then one question remains…who is this "bastard"? _

"Don't hide! Come out like a real man!" Naruto's shout reached Sakura's ears once again.

"It sounds like he is on the other side of the wall," she looked all around the limestone wall, trying to find a way to get in. _There has to be a way! _Sakura dropped to her hands and knees and began to crawl in the dry soil, brushing the growing bushes away from the wall. _There has to be a hole here some…_ suddenly her hands brushed against a nonexistent brick, where she found herself nearly falling to one side. "Eureka!" _Sorry bush, but you have to go, _and with the inhuman strength she strangely possessed, she pulled the thick rooted plant from the ground and tossed it over her shoulder. "I'll find you Naruto," she determinedly stated as she ducked into the dark manmade tunnel and continued to try to find her brother.

At the end of the tunnel, Sakura found herself looking out into a giant residence area. _It's like its own country over here. _Her eyes couldn't believe the amount of houses, shops, and meeting houses that existed behind these walls. Suddenly, the small town like living residence started to seem less quiet and more abandoned.

"What happened here?" Sakura walked along the cobblestoned path, watching the paths split into numerous other paths.

Her feet cautiously avoided the loose stones as she continued to follow the main path, unsure of where it would take her. _This place…it's been abandoned for years. _She looked around to see lying corpses that decorated the mini-streets. The bodies didn't possess any flesh, and only clothes and bones of the deceased remained. Trails of blood stained against the stone and dirt, the once red color had faded to black. _This is…awful…_ She pressed through the streets, stepping over the bodies that interrupted her path. Homes had no doors or no windows, sometimes Sakura would see remains of other humans hanging out of their windows. The air around her was thick and grim; even the summer breeze avoided the dreadful place.

Sakura continued to walk towards the back of the area, until an eye-catching, marvelous mansion caught her eye. "Oh my god," she felt her mouth drop the floor at the sight of the still painfully beautiful white marbled home. Remnants of shattered glass decorated the path that lead to the red oak wood double doors. It possessed real gold door handles and knocker. Emerald eyes scanned the giant structure with a mixture of awe and wonder. "The streets are littered with bodies and destruction…and yet this home does not show any signs of resistance…"

"Is that all you got!" The sudden yell of Naruto's voice snapped Sakura back into reality.

She turned away from the house and heard footsteps running and objects shattering. _It's coming from behind the mansion. _Sakura looked around to see a small forest growing on the side of the mansion. "That's my way in," she jumped to the side and ran, shoulder first, into the forest.

The small greenery patch was not nearly as intense as Sakura had imagined. Only a few trees and multiple small bushes obstructed her path before she found herself entering a clearing behind the home. She stopped short when she saw Naruto's back raising and lowering in rapid movement. _What the? _She quietly slipped towards a life-sized bush and stuck her head through a small hole she created by parting the leaves of the astounding plant. She watched with curiosity as Naruto continued to dodge items that were being thrown in his direction. _Who is that kid? _She watched the other child continue to hurl small wooden planks in Naruto's direction. Her eyes narrowed, trying to get a better visual of the child Naruto was continuously screaming at.

_Come on…_ she pushed her body closer to the bush hoping the extra few inches would allow her to see the face of the child. Finally, the mysterious child stopped throwing wood at Naruto, and his head began to rise. He walked closer to Naruto, his eyes burning through the blonde child's soul, and that was when Sakura saw it. Blood red eyes shined against the moon's light, causing the child's eyes to possess an even deeper shade of red.

"Those eyes…." She placed one hand over her mouth as she looked into the very same emotionally distant bone chilling blood red eyes she had seen three years ago. _Impossible…_

* * *

To

Be

Continued


End file.
